MARTIAL RAPE IN INDIA

 

 Rape is the most heinous crime committed against women. It not only destroys a 

victim physically  but also psychologically. It affects body as well as soul; the act of 

using and abusing a women’s body for sexual pleasure without her express or implied 

consent is violative of not only individual’s dignity but also of the society as a whole.

  Its revolting to one’s thought that your body is being used 

forcefully for someone’s sexual pleasure.We have stringent laws in place to protect 

women from the crime of rape and serious punishment has been provided therein for the offender. 

But the rate of commission of such crime is still very high and in fact it’s on the rise in our society.

Apart from rape in general, marital rape or forceful sexual intercourse by a man with 

his own wife is a bitter reality of 

our society. Though the general consciousness of the society might consider marital 

rape as a morally and ethically wrongful act but it does not regard it as a serious crime; 

and in fact, directly or indirectly gives it a social sanction in the name matrimonial necessity. 

The worst part is that the law 

of the land also, till now, has failed to recognize marital rape as an offence and in a 

sense gives it a legal sanction also.

If Rape is the genus, the Marital rape is one of its species. It can be defined as 

unwanted sexual 

intercourse by a man with his own wife without her express or implied consent, 

either forcefully or by 

the use of threat or coercion of physical harm

The essential feature of marital rape is the relationship of husband and wife between the

 man and woman; 

this makes the issue more socially relevant. Like in rape, in marital rape also there is no 

consent of the women and there is use of force by the man for sexual intercourse.

Though society as a whole considers rape as very serious crime and law also gives great 

importance in punishing the rapists, but, rape laws do not give any protection to married 

women in case their husbands forcefully have sexual intercourse on them. Society as a 

whole also does not consider marital rape as an issue of any significance and gives full 

immunity to husbands.

Married women who are subjected to this kind of sexual violence by their own husbands 

have no place to go; they cannot complain this to their family due to societal pressure and also 

they cannot go to police because law does not recognize marital rape as crime. Thus, victims of 

marital rape are condemned to bear the pain silently and have no remedy in sight.

The reasons of marital rape can be many such as sexual perversion of husband; desire to assert

  superiority of men over women; petty domestic issues; attempt of women to demand her right in

  marital relationship etc.

Thus, in essence, the main reason of this marital menace is wide spread gender

 inequality prevailing in our society. It is another aspect of our patriarchal and 

male-dominated system of social norms where women either married or un-married 

do not have equal rights in any which way. It is another weapon in the hands of man 

to exploit and subjugate women.

Also, one of the reasons is the role traditionally assigned to married women in 

our society. The role as defined by society to married women is of pati-vratastri

means pure, faithful and obliging women. Thus, a married woman is supposed to 

follow her husband’s directions fully and fulfill all his demands without any questioning. 

So the notion of ‘good wife’ is not good for women but for men only. 

Sexual relationship has been considered as an important part of married woman’s 

duty towards her husband and she is not supposed to deny that to him. 

Her role must be of submission and surrender.

Economic dependence over her husband and in-laws is also one of the reasons that

 married women are unable to protect themselves from frequent practice of marital rape 

and are bound to bear the violence.

Another reason is the absence of legal provisions recognizing marital rape as an offence; 

which encourages the man to continue with his behavior and leaves the wife with no remedy.

The biggest disappointment in dealing with the ill of marital rape is that it is not an 

offence in the eyes of law in India. Neither the Indian Penal Code, 1860 nor any other 

specialized legislation such as the Domestic Violence Act, 2005 specifically recognizes 

marital rape as a crime.

Though marital rape is one of the most humiliating and degrading experience for a woman 

but our legislatures did not yet find it appropriate to amend existing penal 

Acts or to enact a new specialized legislation to protect married women from this continuing violence.

Section 375 of IPC defines rape. It lists acts which shall be considered as the offence of rape; 

it also provides conditions fulfillment of which will bring acts as defined in the purview of rape.

But the definition does not recognize forceful intercourse by a husband with his wife as rape. 

In other words, Section 375 excludes marital rape from its purview.

One of the provisions (sixthly of section 375) provides that sexual intercourse by 

a man with a girl under 18 years of age is rape, either with or without her consent. 

But, in the same section, it is provided that (as per Exception attached to Section 375), 

sexual intercourse by the husband with his own wife and wife not being under 15 years of age is 

not considered as rape. Thus, if a girl is married and her husband commits forceful sexual act 

upon her it is not rape even if she is below 18 years of age but not below 15.

The irony or double standard in law is obvious here, for a married woman above the age of 

15 there is no remedy against her husband’s sexual perversion. This provision imparts a great 

injustice to married women because it helps the perverted husbands to perpetuate their wrongful act.

 And it provides no remedy to the wife if she is above 15 years of age.

Furthermore, even recognition of sexual relationship as rape in case of wife being below 15 is 

not because law considers it as marital rape but the consideration is only that of age of the wife.

Thus, the IPC does not give recognition to marital rape at all. Even the much talked about recent 

criminal law amendment i.e. the Criminal Law Amendment Act, 2013 did not make any provision 

regarding marital rape.

Further, Section 376B provides that sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife without her 

consent during judicial separation is an offense punishable with imprisonment up to 2 years and 

fine also. But here also the provision does not recognize the said offence as rape. And in this case 

the married couple is living separately under a decree of judicial separation. 

Thus, here too marital rape did not find any mention.

Perhaps only if we take a broader view, marital rape may be considered as a form of ‘cruelty’ as 

defined under section 498A, because cruelty includes any type of harm both mental as well as 

physical. But strictly speaking it is going too far with the provision and also 

it will only be taken as cruelty not marital rape.