Sexual Violence: A glimpse into the reality

He is your husband. How can you accuse him of raping you?

A healthy relationship is built on consent.

Many don’t seem to know the difference between sex and sexual violence.

Confused about how a spouse can rape his own partner? The chances are you don’t know the answer to the previous question either.

Naivety on the subject, pressing the back button on an article because it is about sex, rigidity towards change, acceptance of barbarians are few of the traits that hold you back from getting familiar with reality.

With the rise in rape cases and violence against women, it is imperative to shed light on the causes that create and promote rape mindset. Especially in a country like India people where access to proper sex education is very minimal than those who are just a click away from watching porn movies. Telecasting visual representation of two people getting intimate drives a lot of profit to the porn industry. These malicious videos are easily available on search engines in spite of the government banning the sites. Viewers are always finding a way to seek pleasure through such heinous acts and are feeding their addictions. The ill-effects of watching porn are innumerable, but before that, we need to understand what lures people to view these videos. A few of them include:

• Peer pressure
• Easy accessibility
• Lack of awareness
• No sex education
• Cruelty

Adult conversations revolve around the favorite genre of porn, sex positions, and preferable websites. Innocent children are falling into the trap of vulgar content. Addicts idolize these videos and can’t spend a day without watching porn. The unhealthy sexual practices displayed misrepresents how an individual perceives sexual relations. Duration of time, sexual positions telecasted in porn videos are harmful and hurtful. People broaden these same fantasies and force their partners to perform heinous acts in real life. The dissatisfaction of the sexual desires instills aggressive behavior in the viewers. Porn promotes rape culture by demeaning women, portraying wild fantasies affecting the sex life of individuals. Videos objectifying women and children make the addicts look at women as mere sex objects. Kids at a young age are prone to watch adult movies that create a sense of anxiousness to find more about it.

Parents refraining their children from accessing the right information may drive them to approach the wrong possibilities. In my opinion, it is very important to communicate and be open about issues. Absenteeism of sex education, teachers shying away from clarifying queries is another major reason. However, porn isn’t the only reason for physical abuse and violence cases but it definitely is the major cause.

There are several misconceptions introduced that make viewers normalize violent acts. Gang rapes are tremendously increasing, the criminal minds access and watch these rape videos online. Priyanka Reddy, a woman from Hyderabad who was brutally raped and murdered was the most searched name on the top porn sites. It is saddening and disgusting to know how dreadful it is for women to live in society. Are we safe?

A survey revealed that 76% of respondents agree that porn leads one to desire to rape. Most of the viewers watch aggressive videos, these 40 % of audiences have an extreme urge to watch obscenity turned desires. When their partners aren’t willing to satisfy their unhealthy desires, sex trafficking comes into the picture. Innocent victims are injected with overdoses of drugs till their body gets numb.

857 porn sites were banned in India by the government because of obvious reasons yet India has seen 95% of the spike in traffic to the adult sites during the lockdown.

Rape in India is reported every 15 minutes, according to NCRB

Revoking lockdown is not the solution

1500 crimes against women were reported in Karnataka during the lockdown. On the other side, there are unreported cases jammed with silence, fear, and hopelessness.

Whenever a woman decides to stand against cruelty — it is the right time to speak up. One woman’s reluctance to the harassment is more women’s suppression.

Sexual Assault.

It is directly influenced by the way children are brought up in the families. Societies where women are considered inferior condition young minds to discern that they are unequal, vulnerable. Women are exploited and suppressed physically, mentally, emotionally silencing their voice. They begin to accept that this is their helpless destiny. Why does this happen? Illiteracy and patriarchy are two major causes of this. The majority of the women in these families aren’t aware of the rights provided to them, because of which they don’t fight but resist suffering. what can you do about it?

Don’t be blind to age-old traditions that differentiate the genders. Have a wide perspective and be an iconoclast. Voice out your opinions when you see an injustice being committed against any human being. Take pride and honor in continuing to preserve your family’s rituals but its never too late to alter practices suppressing women at your own place.

Education is another crucial factor. Girls from a young age arent given much preference. They are not being allowed to have access to the right to education. Few people have deep-rooted thought that men are the bread earners, and women are restricted to household chores. So when you come across parents who can’t afford to send their children to school lend a helping hand by enlightening them with the government schools. It doesn’t necessarily have to be financial assistance, efforts of organizing awareness campaigns, and the spread message of the importance of education can bring a huge transformation. Divide and share the tasks at home. Doing household work is not something to be ashamed of, it is a basic requirement. If you can help women at home with chores, there is less burden on them and more time to go to school. Even after getting admitted in schools, girls drop out. Create a safe space for people around you, make them feel comfortable and important. Cruel injustice of early child marriages, gender stereotypes can be collectively fought for the welfare of the country.

Teachers equivocating from explaining the reproductive system makes students more curious. Do not hesitate rather normalize conversations regarding sex. Having access to sex education from the school level is a top priority. Because of how secretive people are, youngsters approach porn as a way to learn about sex. As a teacher, it is your responsibility to educate children about sex like how you explain other subjects

As a parent have conversations and clarify doubts your kids have. Don’t command them to avoid watching adult sites but teach them why they have to stay away from those.

As a friend don’t encourage our companions to objectify any human. Have healthy conversations about diverse topics and never refrain from conveying the right information.

Not everyone close to the family is avuncular, maintain your own personal boundaries. Communicate with your parents if anyone harasses you because it is not your fault. Bearing domestic violence is like inviting morons and staying in hell every day. You always have an option to fight for yourself. Be a brave decision maker not for the society, family, or friends but yourself.

Dominating behavior doesn’t make you a man, it makes you less human.

Remember porn is not sex!