Part 2: What Should Indian Society Do for Rehabilitation of Rape Victims?

Part 1: What has Indian Society done for Rehabilitation of Rape Victims in society? Legal punishment of the offenders is only part of the justice to Rape Victims. It is not enough by itself unless supplemented by help to the victim for her Rehabilitation in society.

The rising incidence of rape of women and young girls (as well as prepubescent boys) in India, including gang rape, is a matter of great shame and anxiety to the Nation, as India has been ranked the fourth worst nation to be born in as a woman.

The usual reaction in support of the women is to seek strict action against the Rapists, which is of course, mandatory as a deterrent against the crime. However, not enough thought is given to rehabilitation of the victims in society without stigma.

The First step in Rehabilitation of a Rape Victim is the Medical Care of the Assaulted Girl or Woman including Legally sanctioned Medical Termination of Pregnancy kin case of her conception through rape.

If the Pregnancy cannot be terminated because of health reasons or advanced pregnancy, arrangement should be done for Adoption of the child in a proper and legal manner. Till such an arrangement can be made, the baby should be handed over to a Government run/recognised Child Care Home.

However, the Main Challenge is of Restoring the Morale and Self Esteem of the Victim as well as to Induce Empathy of Society towards her, to get her accepted again in the mainstream of Society, which is as important as legal justice and psychotherapy.

At a later stage, when the girl is fairly composed and if a kind man is willing to marry her, should be persuaded to marry. However, if it is not possible to find such a person, she should not be allowed to become despondent but helped to regain her self esteem and sense of security through a fulfilling Vocation.

Or if the victim herself does not wish to marry, she should not be coerced into it, as in many cases of rape, the victim may become frigid and unable to have sex.

In such event, the abused girls or women should be encouraged to take up a suitable profession to become independent and confident, which should be the main goal in the rehabilitation of victims of sexual assault.

After all, a woman is not only a gender identity, namely, just a human female body – as traditional patriarchal societies think – whose principal worth as a member of the society is to be gauged by the ‘purity of her vagina’. She too has a mind and talents, which should not be wasted by putting her in isolation like a criminal, but which she can be coaxed to utilise for earning and securing her livelihood and self reliance.

Yet very often, the victim is forced to hide her face and live in isolation just for being defiled by the sexual abuse, especially if she is unfortunate to become pregnant due to the rape, while the rapist/s go about in society with their heads high, by virtue of being males.

This injustice has to be ended by Rehabilitation of Rape victims in society with sympathy and respect towards the women as human beings who are ‘sinned against’, not sinners.

After all, Why should an innocent person who is violated be consigned to spend the rest of her existence as a ‘Living Dead’ just for being a female? Just because our society is ashamed to bring cases of sexual assault on women, especially instances of incest, before the public?

Continued in Part – 2 of this Blog Post.

Shiva is the controller of the Navagrahas (9 planets) including the Sun and Jupiter.

www.facebook.com/100003882795603/posts/2021755281297212

Correction: The statement in the paragraph of my remarks on the article that the planets Sun and Jupiter are not controlled by Shiva is wrongly typed and posted.