Psychosocial Impacts of Marital Rape

From ancient world to today’s modern society, women have been subjected to disparities and fell prey to abuses and it will not be surprising even in the institution like marriage which promises security and intimacy it engendered women to be raped by the person whom they have to face all their lives, the same face which stings them of the violence. The question is about why most women negate the actual incidence of rape by their husbands, while some who do stand against it are subjected to prejudice by their own family. Everything in marriage is seen as a private affair which should remain closed behind curtains but if the same privacy violates the safety of women shouldn’t be questioned. Marital rape in present time is criminalized in more than 100 countries, while exception being countries like India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Haiti, Tajikistan etc. In some instances, Indian courts have also given exceptional judgement as Karnataka HC says, rape is rape, be it by the husband. The rising instances of Marital rape time ground the acknowledgement for legislation of such crime. The paper highlights how marital rape affects women on all parameters be it physical, psychological and emotional leaving her pilfered from her sanity.

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