Rape Is Not Sexual Pleasure. How Long Before More Men Realise This?

With the rising number of gang rape incidents appearing in news reports, this mother wonders what kind of world she is leading her children into. 

I read an article today (shared in three WhatsApp groups) where the husband was held at gunpoint while his wife was raped in the bushes. The article said that the husband pulled over the car to use the toilet and while he was still out two cars stopped and four men approached this family. The moment they noticed a woman in the car they dragged her to the buses for their sexual pleasure. You can read the entire piece here.

The family was returning from a function and the man, unfortunately, got a call of nature.

The incident happened in sector 56, Gurgaon, very close to where I stay.

A mother of a girl toddler, though I have the car every day, there are days when I drop her to the school and pick her up in an auto. Or go to the market on foot for grocery shopping with my daughter (A). The fact is, I am mostly alone – sometimes because my husband is traveling while at other times he’s at work. And let’s be practical, I cannot always wait for my husband to get free to get this household work done.

I always felt safer driving a car as compared to a two-wheeler as the latter saves me from street harassment and accidents. But, now I wonder if I’m safe at all.

There can be many reasons one might have to pull over and stop the car. Let me share an incident with you.

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I was once driving home around 9:30 pm with A in her car seat behind when suddenly I heard a sound. It took me only seconds to realize that she had fidgeted with the door latch unlocking the door slightly (thank God not entirely). Unfortunately, we didn’t have child lock in the car at the time as we had just bought it a month back.

I immediately pulled over, got down and closed the door firmly, instructing A calmly not to touch the latch again. This entire process would have taken say, 5 minutes or even lesser. What’s the connection here, you ask.

The husband in the incident might have been out for say 10 minutes and if something like this can happen with them, I could have easily been a victim too.

I am can’t help but wonder if the world is a jungle with wild animals roaming free looking for their prey to satisfy their hunger for lust or in their language, sexual pleasure. 

A is 2.5 yo and in another six months will be blessed with a sibling too. When I read such pieces/news it makes me not just worried but feel helpless too. What kind of a world am I raising one child in and thinking of bringing another one to? Can I be 100% sure and tell my kids that no matter if there are wild animals in the world, the world is still a beautiful place to live in?

It’s been five years since the Nirbhaya incident, but gang rapes have only increased in our country. The sad thing is that we only get to know of rapes/gang rapes which are reported while there would be many unreported incidents which never see the light of the day. I do not want to blame the police, the government, or as a matter of fact, any department. 

But, I want to ask every man in our country:

Where are you heading to? How deep is your lust? How hungry are you? Do you only see boobs and vagina in a female, irrespective of her age and how can you, at the first opportunity, make your way inside her? Are females only a piece of flesh to quench your thirst, your lust?

HOW MANY MORE WOULD BE ADDED TO #METOO? 

This reminds me of a famous tagline by our PM – Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao!

And for what, RAPES?

• From the mother of a girl child and another one to come, who hopes for a better world for her kids.

Do share your thoughts in the comments.  

Image via Pixabay

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