Trigger Warning: Mentions Of Sexual Assault
Do you realise someone somewhere might be getting sexually assaulted while you are reading this? As per NCRBs horrifying statistics, every 16 minutes, a woman is raped somewhere in India.
In an ideal world, women or anyone should not experience any form of sexual act against one’s will. However, across their lifetime, 1 in 3 women, around 736 million, are subjected to physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner or sexual violence from a non-partner—a number that has remained largely unchanged over the past decade.
Sexual violence (SV) refers to sexual activity when consent is not obtained or not freely given. SV impacts every community and affects people of all genders, sexual orientations and ages. Anyone can experience SV, but most victims are female.
Who is to blame? The perpetrator? The lawmaker? The government? The society? The citizens? Let us ponder over this.
Talk About Sex Remains “Shhh”
In a country where I can’t talk about sex, how do I talk about sexual assault? And if I don’t talk about it, how will I talk about how I’m impacted?
Anything related to sex and sexuality still remains a ‘shhh’ topic, and today, we need open spaces where we won’t be judged. Unless we have conversations about sexuality, the issue of sexual abuse will never be addressed.
Amisha, a development practitioner who has held sex education sessions, opines that sexuality should be part of the day-to-day conversation.
Mama, Let’s Talk About “It”
Many individuals and organisations are bridging the gaps by holding workshops and promoting healthy sexuality by discussing topics but not limited to sexual orientation, sexual behaviour, sexual communication, respect and consent.
“There are workshops that enable a safe space for participants to converse, reflect on their experience and practice sexual agency. In workshops, stakes are low and real life is only replicated through tools and methods, this helps in building agency over time,” said Simran, sexuality educator.
A sexual rights related workshop attended by one of the women I approached shared, “The facilitators asked us questions and we had to say no to everything. ‘Do you want to come over and have food?’ ‘No, thanks.’ ‘Do you want to go for a drive?’ ‘No, not really.’ etc.
“The point was to get ‘no’ into our vocabulary and also feel the empowerment that comes when you practice your agency. I think similar kinds of workshops and sessions can be conducted for women.”
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Comprehensive Sexuality Education Must Be Taught In Schools
India is one of the signatories to the 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD). It is obliged to provide free and compulsory comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents and young people as part of commitments made under the ICPD agenda.
Educational institutes can co-create and deliver sex education in collaboration with experts who are taking workshops, providing consultations, etc.
Religious institutes and families can consult/invite such individuals and organise sex education workshops. These workshops can be used as ice breakers, and further, families can be trained/taught how to have continuous healthy conversations around sex-related topics within themselves.
70% of women I approached stressed the significance of cultivating communication skills, assertiveness and creating boundaries with the sexual partner based on lived experiences and otherwise. Thus, the workshops are a step beyond sex education. It has the potential to educate and cultivate the required skills, provided we all encourage such initiatives.
Furthermore, the Centre for Disease suggests that parents, school staff and other caring adults can support youth in building positive communication skills, including conflict resolution and how to handle emotions in a healthy way.
Alongside, we as citizens need to learn, unlearn and act with sensitivity to prevent SV.
How Can We Stop Sexual Violence?
Don’t laugh at jokes that normalise sexual assault and minimise the gravity of the issue. Call it out. Chatur’s speech in 3 Idiots was unfunny and problematic. Such jokes delegitimise sexual violence and are not acceptable. Speak up against sexist language, jokes or behaviours that promote violence.
Create a culture of enthusiastic consent, i.e. freely given consent is mandatory every time. Rather than listening for a “no”, make sure there is an active “yes” from all involved. Adopt enthusiastic consent in your life and talk about it.
Speak out against the root causes; when discussing cases of sexual violence, a victim’s sobriety, clothes and sexuality are irrelevant. Instead, counter the idea that men and boys must obtain power through violence and question the notion of sex as an entitlement.
Redefine masculinity. Offer to help or support in situations where violence may occur or has occurred. Check out sayfty’s survivor toolkit; it provides step-by-step guidelines, resources and information on medical, legal, mental health and support networks.
Understand what is sexual assault and begin or join the conversation on forms of sexual assault with friends, family and acquaintances. Understand myths and facts about rape and sexual assault.
Efforts like these are critical along with destigmatising mental health.
Sexism, Society and Mental Health Stigma
Attention towards the psychological impact of sexual assault remains primarily ignored in public discourse and this is a matter of concern. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported sexual violence as a significant factor in poor mental health status in women across countries, including India.
According to government psychiatrists, depression and anxiety are twice as more common in females and affect 25% of women.
As elaborated earlier, women who have experienced sexual assault bear long-term mental health consequences.
There is no specific figure that reports mental health issues among women due to sexual violence in India. Community-based research studies in India have pointed to a link between mental health issues and limited agency, choice, a lack of familial support and economic hardships. This suggests the association between women’s sexual violence and poor mental health.
“Women’s psyche often gets bruised repeatedly without anyone to heal the hurt and trauma experienced from early years. Most women remain silent for years until their mental health exhibits serious repercussions and they are often discouraged to express their feelings for fear of getting stigmatised,” said Mumbai-based clinical therapist Anureet Sethi.
Unfortunately, mental health care is not accessible to young women. Despite all the efforts to spread mental health awareness, women face stigma in accessing mental health care. Financial reasons also contribute to inaccessibility.
“In India, there is a lack of awareness about where to turn for help? Whom to say? How to cope with the aftermath? There is a need for mental health awareness as well as the need for more pro bono services, especially for the marginalised community,” said Varanasi-based clinical psychologist Dr Usha.
In this regard, social media campaigns, pop culture, magazines, radio, print media, nukkad natak (road plays) and screening events at cafes/restaurants can be used to show the impact of SV on mental health, thereby spreading awareness of the need for mental health services.
Society needs to create a safe environment for women to access mental health care. And the government needs to ensure accessibility.
Last But Not Least: The State’s Role
Accessing counselling to deal with the consequence of sexual violence is secondary and tertiary prevention under public health intervention.
Research highlights the absence of an institutional mechanism to provide psychological counselling for those who experienced sexual assault in India.
Leena Menghaney, a lawyer and survivor who works with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), said, “Twenty years ago, there were no readily available services for the sexual violence I faced while returning home from college. The incident remains etched in my mind.
“I still see women not receiving free and quality psychological support for their violence-related trauma, just like I, as a young college student, could not. The link between violence and mental health is direct and its scale in India qualifies it as a public health crisis.”
What Does The Government Need To Do To Address Some Of These Challenges?
India needs to strengthen prevailing health systems to support women who experienced sexual violence. While the ministry of health’s 2014 guidelines on medico-legal care for survivors of sexual violence is a way forward, it is not enough. It requires amendments and proper execution.
An article pointed out that guidelines making it mandatory for medical practitioners to inform the police, even in cases where the survivor is clearly reluctant, will discourage women and young people from seeking first aid, psychological treatment, HIV and STI medication.
The government needs to ensure laws that promote gender equity and healthy life for young women. At present, the wording of legal provisions for sexual violence fails to make all forms of sexual violence visible. Rape should be replaced by the term “sexual assault”. Furthermore, sexual assault on any part of the body should be reflected as an offence in legislation.
We need to adopt a survivor-centric approach and consult/include sexual assault survivors in the law and policy-making process.
“What do I do at this family function when I see the person who abused me? All I want is not to be obligated to talk or be nice to this uncle, he should maintain distance. Is it too much to ask for?” asks Pratima (name changed), a survivor of sexual assault by close family members.
We need to step into the shoes of those who experienced sexual assault and battle every day with such distressful questions and other questions in their mind.
In most cases, the offender is known, in the form of friends, partners and family members, making it difficult to report. Whether women report it or not, there should be a right to be protected mentally and physically from the perpetrator.
At present, society doesn’t understand the trauma it can cause to survivors being around perpetrators. The families/society/community will hopefully support women when such rights are legally visible or talked about.
The government should provide sex offender treatment and management to the perpetrators of sexual violence to minimise the possibility of re-offence.
The government needs to work in collaboration with civil societies, mental health service providers, and other individuals working to end SV.
Society, citizens, government and legislators; all of us are responsible for creating a violence-free place for women. Justice making is not limited to the courtroom. Together, we all need to listen, listen to the stories of women with empathy.
Accordingly, every day we need to reflect upon our behaviours and prejudices that normalise sexual assault, the attitudes we have about gender identities to the policies we support in our countries.