Today when I opened the newspaper, I was shocked. A 62 year old woman was raped. I always assumed that men lusted for young girls to satisfy their sexual desires and raped them in the process. But when I read about this poor old woman, I was left to thinking that why did men feel it right to rape a female?
Is rape purely defined by Lust?
If it was only about sex then a man can have sex with his wife, with hookers, or with his girlfriends. You don’t need to force yourself on a stranger for this. So why is the number of rape victims rising? This question made me think that it sure couldn’t be a crime of lust, but about violence and power. It is relates to the increasing violence in today’s world rather than just sex. I attribute this to the criminal population who is becoming bolder and more adventurous.
What impels a guy to rape?
Basic anger, ego and hostility towards women are a prime reason for this act, especially if there is a group of people. Hence, you see an increase in number of gang rapes lately.
Most of the rapists are not typical criminals. They are just looking to take revenge or prove their male power. As they go ahead with the act they gather courage which is why women should fight and resist strongly. But usually women are terrorized at the start and simply accept the fact that they are being victimized. This encourages the assaulter more and he gathers more and more courage to finish his crime. That is why you would see that not all rape victims are murdered. As soon as his purpose is over he will simply walk away leaving the victim lying there. The laws are also so weak that either the assaulter is left on a bail or never even caught to be proven guilty.  This loophole in the legal system is also one of the reasons this crime is being committed so easily as they have no fear whatsoever. The worst part is that the guys don’t even feel guilty also which is the most saddening part.
What can you do as a woman to avoid being a victim?
Just by saying that there is nothing I can do, men are just lusting criminals is not going to help. You need to learn to see the warning signs. Resist the unwelcome advances and do not put yourself into situations that can turn dangerous. Walking alone on the road in dark, opening doors for strangers when you are alone, taking lift from someone who seems polite, handing over phone number and addresses to someone you just met at the airport, adding unknown people to your friend list on social networking sites, these are just some of the wise acts that you need to undertake for your own good.
One needs to become strong not only through training in self-defence but also emotionally. A lot of victims are a consequence of being emotionally weak and leaning to a stranger in times of loneliness.
We cannot change the mindset of men and have them to respect a woman’s body. Thus, it is the necessity for more and more women to start occupying places in occupations which were purely considered for men such as police forces, military, pilots, etc. Women in today’s world need to stand up to men and prove that we are not weak, submissive creatures which men can pounce upon anytime to satisfy their sexual aggression. With power comes the respect and when women will become powerful, men will no longer treat them as low level objects of use and throw.
