Twitter User Questions Why Men Don’t Call Forced Intercourse ‘Rape’ And It Has Triggered Men On The Internet!
There is a strong point here!
Crimes against women are on the rise in India, and we are continuing to read about some horrible incidents that make headlines. But, the label of a “crime” is also very selective in India. Twitter raised the question of whether or not forced intercourse with a partner should be called a crime and one that is as bad as rape. To this, journalist Rituparna, also known as Masalabai on Twitter put forth a straightforward answer to this debate, and wrote “Forced intercourse is rape.”
The debate on marital rape and its degree as a crime again started after Allahabad High Court stated that if a woman is 18 years or above, marital rape will not be considered a crime. However, many arguments against this statement surfaced on Twitter. In a recent tweet made by the journalist, Rituparna AKA Masalabai, she firmly stated that forced intercourse in marriages is rape and should be a crime. She further commented on why men fear calling this rape. On this, she wrote “The hesitation to call it rape stems from a sense of ownership over the wife’s body, nothing else.”
Forced intercourse is rape. You’d call it rape in any other similar situation between strangers. Then why not when a man commits it on his wife? I’ll tell you why. The hesitation to call it rape stems from a sense of ownership over the wife’s body, nothing else. https://t.co/pVOXuNJksr
— Rituparna (@MasalaBai) December 13, 2023
I feel problem is men (including judges) assume marriage allows automatic and non-negotiable consent of women, that they sign off autonomy to husbands after marriage. That they *owe* each other sex, whereas the act itself includes complexity of conversations, love, free will
— Rituparna (@MasalaBai) December 13, 2023
In most relationships sex is an act of love. But laws aren’t made to protect the strongest. They need to protect the weakest and those who are raped by husbands need this protection. Law cannot throw such women under the bus saying it’s not rape if it’s the husband assaulting
— Rituparna (@MasalaBai) December 13, 2023
This hard-hitting statement from the journalist gave rise to some other opinions on the platform. One user agreed with her and wrote that society has conditioned men to believe that they have ownership of a woman’s body after marriage, but nothing changes the fact that rape is rape.
Another user wrote that forced intercourse should be considered rape because it does not involve consent.
Why don’t they get it, the violation of consent and body autonomy is rape, no other deliberation needed.
— Pooja Priyamvada (She/Her) (@SoulVersified) December 13, 2023
The same user who raised the question on calling forced intercourse rape again commented on Masalabai’s post and wrote that by her logic, other consensual acts in a marriage like kissing should also be considered a crime. Another Twitter user who opposed this argument came up with a meaningless point and wrote that forced intercourse between couples cannot be called rape because before marriage a woman agrees to have sex multiple times with her husband. Umm, does this make sense?
By that logic, should the other forms of non-consensual sex acts between couples should also be categorised as harrasment/molestation? And should they be considered crimes of similar level of depravity?
— Musab Qazi (@musab1) December 13, 2023
It cannot be termed as a rape as while marrying the would be wife has already agreed that they will have intercourse multiple times in life as oppose to that of a stranger.
— Arjun Sinha (@SinhaArjun43425) December 13, 2023
Also Read: UP Court Points Out People Worship Goddesses But Rape Women And Minor Girls While Awarding Death Penalty To 2 Men For Gang-Rape
Why not consider forced intercourse as rape? In this scenario, a woman does not give consent to the sexual act, is forcefully subjected to do so because the husband wants it, and does not get to have any say. What other reasons do we want for considering this as a raging crime against women?
