The way we regard rape.
*Trigger warning: mentions of rape
Recently, I stumbled across an article that @bbsbhutan on Instagram had published and was infuriated.
For the most part, the article was rather standard. It described the increase in rape cases and the situation in Bhutan. It also touched on the measures the police are taking to prevent any more cases.
However, the article ended in such a way that I was left in complete shock.
The last line read, “Furthermore, the police said it is the responsibility of an individual, particularly the females, to avoid going out during odd hours or in secluded places.”
But, you see, as I reread that line, I started getting angry. Very angry.
“The responsibility of an individual”?
“Particularly the females“?
“Avoid going out during odd hours”?
“Secluded places”?
There was just so much I was upset with.
They made it sound as if provided that females were to stay inside during odd hours and avoid secluded places, then maybe rapes cases wouldn’t be as common.
This enraged me.
It seemed like they were blaming the victims and I thought their statement had no basis.
Most rapes are not committed by random strangers a victim meets at night in secluded paces.
No, most of the time, the perpetrators are those close to the victim: a family member, a friend, a neighbor. And these people need not wait for a certain place or a certain time.
They do not care.
Additionally, females are not the only rape victims. Males too, must be wary. After all, even though we do not hear as much of male victims as we do female, they exist and are just as real as their female counterparts.
Thus, the statement in the article had managed to anger me even more.
But as I was re-reading the article (the whole article and not just that one line), I stumbled on something I had missed the first time around (due to the anger which had, admittedly, blinded me).
Right before that line was a paragraph that stated, “Despite manpower shortage, the Police say they are intensifying inspections and patrolling. The Police are also urging the Thromde and concerned authorities to install CCTV cameras especially in isolated places and wherever required.”
Although the above statement isn’t ideal either, it showed me that the police are at least trying and that despite their choice of words, they are working towards safer streets.
For now, I will choose to give them the benefit of doubt and hope that the statement that infuriated me and many others was merely a misunderstanding.
And though I understand and appreciate the fact that the police are doing their best, I still do not believe it is enough for me, as a citizen of the country they protect, to be able to live freely without the fear that seems to linger in the back of my mind, refusing to budge.
Rape is not an issue that will fade with time, nor will perpetrators get bored and move on. It is a problem that cannot be swept under the rug but it is not easy to irradicate either.
Merely having potential victims hide will not solve the problem, it will only take away the freedom of our citizens.
After all, why should we cower in fear while criminals roam free?
Frankly, I think that our country’s laws are too soft on rapists.
These people that rob their victims of safety and of sanity and of opportunity are not punished as severely as they should be.
They put their victims through immense pain that is not momentary or temporary, but permanent.
They put their victims through ordeals that will haunt them for the rest of their lives, hindering their day-to-day interactions and even their sleep.
They instill fear in the hearts of not only their victims, their victims’ families but also mere passer-bys who start carrying around pepper spray and hesitating before a night out.
These perpetrators, these criminals are let off easy and that needs to change.
They deserve longer sentences, to rid society of their presence, bring assurance to the public and above all, to make the victims feel safe.
To, if not anything else, ensure that the criminals cannot harm another.
Furthermore, our mindset is skewed.
Why must we barricade our females -not women, but females as even girls are not spared- who we think are more vulnerable physically (which I agree with) instead of teaching children from a young age not to hurt others?
Why can’t we teach our youth that rape is bad and should not be condoned?
The concept is so easy, so simple, yet it is also non-existent in school and in households.
As of now, rape is barely mentioned other than when people offer quick condolences but its effect is so huge.
So why can’t we change?
Why do we refuse to take the first step?