Marital rape is the act of sexual intercourse with a spouse without the spouse’s consent. According to Section 375, Exception 2 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), “sexual intercourse by a man with his wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape.”
India is one of the 36 countries where marital rape hasn’t been criminalized. A study by the UN Population Fund states that more than two-thirds of married women in India, between the ages of 15 to 49, have been beaten, raped, or forced to provide sex. The Centre says that criminalizing marital rape may destabilize the institution of marriage.
It is 2021 and marital rape is still not criminalized in India. The very definition of marriage is a union between two people. How can marriages work when your own spouse doesn’t know what consent is?
I saw various videos debating this topic. Many people, regardless of gender didn’t think marital rape existed. They think that when married, a woman is supposed to give in to her husband every time he wants sex, and that marriage implies consent for sexual relations. This propagates the view that women are men’s property and are supposed to obey everything a man says since after all they’re married right?
Marriage is not a free ticket to get what you want. Marriages aren’t easy. But you need to respect your partner. Treat your partner like a human. They have feelings. Understand the concept of consent. When your partner isn’t comfortable or says no, you do not go further. Even if they do not say no if they do not say yes, they’re clearly uncomfortable
Marital rape needs to be criminalized. We cannot act as if marital rape is nothing. Rape is rape. The attitudes of Society needs to improve. We shouldn’t value culture over basic human decency.