By Bhumika Hooda

Abstract 

This article explores the reality of sexual violence against women in India, where official data shows a woman is raped every 16 minutes. Despite strides in women’s rights, the pervasive rape culture—fueled by societal silence, stigma, and entrenched patriarchal attitudes—continues to put women at risk. The discussion highlights how cultural norms often shift the blame onto victims while perpetrators escape accountability, reinforcing a dangerous cycle of impunity. Through examining these systemic failures, the article calls for a collective awakening. It stresses the urgent need for stronger laws and a fundamental change in societal attitudes.

Introduction 

According to official statistics of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 1 Indian woman is raped every 16 minutes. Whereas the conviction rate for rape is at an abysmal 27%. There were more than 31,000 reported rapes in 2022. Despite significant progress towards women’s rights and social progress, sexual violence against women remains a pressing concern, which ultimately brings down the integrity of the whole movement. 

As a society, we are at a juncture where we must give up the refuge of empty rhetorics of namesake slogans and schemes and rather take meaningful steps towards them. It is high time to acknowledge that we are an unsafe country for women. The statistics do not lie. Rape ranks as the fourth most common crime against women in India, with assault to the modesty of women constituting 18.7% of crimes against women and rape constituting 7.1% of crimes against women. For  2021 NCRB reported 31,677 rape cases across the country, averaging 86 cases per day. This figure represents an increase from 28,046 cases in 2020, while in 2019, 32,033 cases were reported. These statistics do not take into account the rapes ending in murder and attempts to rape, which are counted separately by the police. The number of unreported cases due to societal fear of reputation and taboo is disproportionately high. In 2018, a government report suggested that 99% of cases of sexual assault remain unreported. 

Post the heart-wrenching incident of rape against the trainee doctor in Kolkata, the country witnessed various large-scale protests. Suddenly all the newspapers and news channels are reporting other such disturbing cases of rape. It was within five days that a bus driver and conductor raped a medical nurse in the state of Uttarakhand. This followed another report of two four-year-old school-going girls who were sexually assaulted in Maharashtra. Sadly, the list seems perpetual. One might be inclined to believe that there has been an increase in rape cases, but in truth, only the reporting of such cases has increased. As the protests die down, the media starts covering the next big thing, and our days return to the status quo. But that does not change the fact that the rape culture is churning out victims daily, an average of 86 per day, to be precise. 

Rape culture is a societal environment where sexual violence is alarmingly common and disturbingly accepted. It’s sustained by the way women are talked about, the way their bodies are objectified, and how sexual violence is sometimes even glorified, leading to a society that too often ignores the rights and safety of women.

 The Culture of Silence

The epidemic of rape in India is a complex issue with deep-rooted societal and cultural factors. The biggest one remains the culture of silence and taboo around rape. In February, when the Spanish tourist was gang raped in Jharkhand, the nationwide concern was not to reflect on how to make the country safer for women but to damage control the impact it would have on Indian tourism. Even the Jharkhand High Court emphasised how crimes against foreign nationals will impact the country’s tourism economy. Curiously, the fundamental issues of women’s safety, bodily autonomy, and dignity were pushed to the sidelines. When such points were raised across social platforms, they were criticised for allegedly tarnishing India’s public image. It’s as if the harsh reality of 86 rapes occurring daily—amounting to 31,516 cases annually—doesn’t harm the nation’s image, but openly discussing the problem of rape does!

Another aspect of this silence is the unwillingness of victims to come forward. Fear of stigma, societal pressure, and the daunting legal process deter many women from reporting incidents. This culture of silence perpetuates a sense of impunity for perpetrators, allowing them to evade justice and continue their harmful behaviour. As previously mentioned, almost 99% of sexual assault cases go unreported. There is a tendency to victim-blame and shame the survivors of sexual assault and rape in our society. The incessant questions such as “What was she wearing?”, “Why was she out at night?” “Why did she go out drinking with boys if she doesn’t want such things to happen?” often haunts the victims in the aftermath of such assaults. This creates resistance to coming forward because women are made to feel guilty for acts committed against them. When victims are blamed for their abuse, they feel isolated and are less likely to report it. This not only creates barriers to justice but, in turn, promotes rape. 

A Deep-Rooted Cultural Crisis

The epidemic of rape in India is not merely a legal issue but a reflection of deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes that devalue women and perpetuate gender inequality. From an early age, girls are often subjected to a narrative that tolerates or even justifies violence against them. The onus of sexual abuse continues to burden women. There is a socially acceptable free pass and normalisation of eve-teasing under the pretext of “men will be men”. Every gruesome incident of rape or assault chips away at the liberty and autonomy of women. After the Kolkata incident, colleges in Assam issued an advisory discouraging women from going out at odd hours. Women are often blamed for the assaults they endure and are pressured to trade their freedom and opportunities for personal safety. Strangely it is never the men who are advised to stop harassing women or them being educated on how to overcome the mindset which induces rape. 

Across various studies, it has come across that the biggest factors behind rape are instant sexual gratification, power plays, an authoritarian, superior attitude, and revenge and enmity for the victim or her family. A culture of lack of consent is omnipresent in Indian society, be it in the private bedrooms of married couples, where marital rape is yet to be penalised, or the commonest of profanities which are based on non-consensual acts against women. Rape is often used as a tool to assert dominance over the socially weak. In a caste-driven and patriarchal society such as India, caste controls the gender norms as women are producers of the notion of ‘caste purity’. Rape becomes the consequence or the resultant end of several causal factors such as land disputes, factional rivalry, and above all, caste dominance due to deeply embedded discriminatory behaviour. In such cases, the concept of “honour” associated with female chastity places an immense burden on women, often leading to the silencing of victims and the perpetuation of a culture of impunity for perpetrators. These cultural norms, combined with a lack of education and awareness about gender equality, create an environment where sexual violence is normalised and excused.

Society and government institutions, too,  play a significant role in absolving men of responsibility for their acts of sexual violence, shielding them from the consequences. In 2022, Gujrat High Court released rape convicts in a crime in which a gang of 11 men from an angry Hindu mob had gang raped a pregnant woman named Bilkis Bano and killed numerous members of her family. Though the Supreme Court later overturned the release, they were welcomed back with garlands on the day these men got out. 

Women are the ultimate victims of patriarchal mindsets and customs. Even in death, they find no respite. After the incident, there was an increase in searches related to videos of heinous acts against the victim. 

Conclusion

All of this is a reminder that the war is not against the rapist but the social mindset which lets the rapist feel entitled and protected to rape. Instead of passing the blame, we should unite and urge the government to take action. There is a strong need for societal transformation, which can be catalysed by revitalised laws and policies over such issues. Every act of rape, more gory than the previous one, gradually desensitises society, making it more likely to accept the next, and thus the atrocity becomes normalised.

Citizens have only their anger. Despite reinvigorated laws related to rape and sexual assault after the tragic 2012 Nirbhaya Case, conviction remains low. What we can do is not let the outrage die and play our role. The UN Women offers 16 practical steps to help end rape culture, focusing on actions that anyone can take. It underscores the importance of enthusiastic consent, challenging harmful gender norms, and rejecting victim-blaming. The article also highlights the need to support survivors, ensure justice for perpetrators, and educate future generations. Encouraging open conversations, active bystander intervention, and collective efforts calls for a united approach to creating a safer and more just society.

About the Author:

Bhumika Hooda is pursuing her five-year B.A.LL.B. law degree at Jindal Global Law. 

Image source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-53261239