The skyrocketing number of rape cases in today’s world has led the world to wonder where we are failing. We can find in abundance the number of people who demonstrate their frustration and concern about the growing culture of rape. Hundreds of thousands of posts are written and shared on Facebook, Twitter and other networking sites everyday. Thousands of articles are written and a number of rallies are organized. But sadly, the problem still remains rooted somewhere in the society. The causes and the solutions? Well, let’s just look at a few things.
Historically, our society has been patriarchal, and it still is the case in many countries. In such societies, men are regarded as the providers and the heads of the families, whereas women are the caretakers who stay indoors and look after the family and children. In the stone age, too, men went out to hunt animals and provided food and security to their families. The women, on the other hand, stayed with their children nurturing them. Although evolution brought mankind to a different level, this functional difference remained embedded in the society as a sexual hierarchy. Even today, self-proclaimed sexual superiority can be seen almost in every aspect of life.
Society has experienced a huge demographic shift in recent years; women are breaking stereotypes and proving themselves equal to men in almost every sector. The dynamics has left the male population reeling with superiority complex, as they feel their power and dominance being threatened. In this process, some lose their mind and start looking for alternatives ways to maintain their primacy. An alternative way in their pursuit of power and superiority is RAPE, which may result either after a man’s failure to deal with rejection or out of some form of revenge.
Is the number of rape cases really increasing? NO! The awareness about it is. Human psychology, behavior and biology has always remained the same, and men have always had the trait of being sexually aroused easily. This biological difference makes men the seekers of sexual partners, and the seekers sometimes get so sick that they lose their rationale to identify whether an act is right or wrong. Men have never been able to abstain themselves from the heinous act of forcefully exploiting women for sex. What we have today recognized as a serious social problem once remained oppressed within the four walls of a room. People have now been aware of the negative consequences of such acts, and women have been bold enough to raise their voices against any form of sexual misbehaviors. As a result, an increasing number of rape cases are reported.
While talking about rape in general, we cannot oversee its condition in some underdeveloped and developing countries. In the societies where the modern awareness regarding the issue has not yet reached, rape cases usually surface when the victim is murdered or commits suicide after being raped. Unlike in the U.S. and some other developed nations where girls are raped generally by their friends or by someone who she knows, the acts of “strangers” are seen as rapes. Moreover, in such societies, not many sexual intercourses occur after the partner’s explicit consent. Although some people may term it as a cultural practice, the problem clearly reflects an existing male dominance. So, how can this problem be solved? Education???
Education seems to have failed in this regard. The culture of rape is evident in educated societies too. The United States ranks 3rd in the number of rapes occurring per year. Stanford is not a place full of illiterates. Where is the humanity failing then? Why are we not able to realize that the life of another being is equally important to that of ours? Why can’t we understand what physical and psychological pain a rape victim has to go through? Why are we failing to accept the fact that the girl whose life we destroy has a family just like we do? Do we not have sisters, mothers, and daughters who remind us what seeing our loved ones suffer all their lives feels like? Why, then, do we commit such heinous crimes and push innocent lives to hell?
It is sad to even imagine what some of us consider the reasons behind the increasing number of rapes. Claiming that late night parties, drinks and short dresses approve boys to sexually misbehave with girls is simply stupid. Concluding what the actual causes of rape culture are may be difficult, but realizing that it is a crime we should all abstain ourselves from is certainly an easy job. We can all play equal roles in eradicating this problem from our society. All it takes is a change in our perception towards the other half of our human family. Whether we want to step forward in making a better society or we want to wait until our sister, daughter, or wife becomes a victim is a choice we all need to make now.
