Opinion

Opinion | Rape Is Not A Mistake. It Is Violence In Its Most Gruesome Form

A survivor once said, “they didn’t just touch my body. They took away my sense of safety forever.”
That is what rape does. It invades the body and then occupies the mind. Trauma experts say it permanently alters how the brain understands fear and safety. Survivors live in constant alert. Sleep becomes fragile. Trust becomes dangerous. The body remembers what the mind wishes it could forget.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau report, India recorded over 4.48 lakh crimes against women in 2023, with rape and related sexual violence making up a disturbing share and an average rate of 4.4 rapes per 100,000 women nationwide. These figures reflect real lives shattered, not just numbers on a page.
And still, society hesitates. It lowers its voice. It bargains with its conscience. It asks questions that should never be asked.
What was she wearing?
Why was she there?
Why didn’t she fight back?
How can she blame him. He’s an honourable man. It must have been something she did.
These are not questions in search of truth.
They are excuses in search of comfort.
They do not protect justice.
They protect the rapist.
Here is the uncomfortable truth.
A society that does not raise its voice against a rapist is not a society at all. It is a crowd that has normalised cruelty.
When we fail to stand loudly and unequivocally with survivors, we are not bystanders. We are supporting the perpetrator.
There is nothing ambiguous about rape.
There is nothing forgivable about it.
Every time we let a rapist walk free, every time we tolerate his homecoming celebrations, we must stop and ask ourselves a hard question. Whose side are we really on? The survivor’s, or the rapist’s?
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