In one of the more horrific stories I have heard for a while, and Indian rape survivor is going to have to balance an 88lb stone on her head to prove she is “pure” before she is allowed to move back into the home she shares with her husband.
The test is called “agnipariksha” — “test of fire” and is used to test the virtue of those victims who have been ‘tainted’ by sexual assault. It usually occurs in the more remote parts of the country.
A Spiritual Sign
The rather disgusting, and physically demanding ordeal will continue until onlookers have some spiritual sign that the woman passed. As you can probably tell, no-one really knows how long this will take.
This all goes back to the Hindu epic poem ‘Ramayana’. The relevant section is where Princess Sita is kidnapped by a rival suitor. Her husband Rama rescues her, but isn’t convinced she is pure after possibly being raped. Sita then sits in a sacrificial fire to prove that she is, only to be protected from the flames by Lord Angi.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, says she is living in a constant state of fear and is scared to leave her home as her attacker has said he will kill her when he gets out of prison.
It also appears that she was refused an abortion after falling pregnant after the attack, and instead was forced to give the baby up to the government.
There is a massive issue with women’s rights at the moment in India. The rape statistics are through the roof, and most of us will have heard of the brutal 2012 gang rape which ended up with the woman dying, and the attackers getting death sentences.
There were more than 300 reports of rape registered by Delhi police in just the first two months of 2015. At this rate, India will be on track to have more than double the number of rapes this year as in 2014. The statistic may also suggest a greater willingness on the part of women to report rape to the authorities.
A Change In Attitudes
For this to turn around, there needs to be a change in the culture. If you live in a world where a woman gets attacked and the gods need to prove that she is still pure, then it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that women are seen as second class citizens. If women are seen as an inferior class, then there will be men who think it is OK to rape them.
The Indian government needs to step in here and this country needs to move into the 21st century. This isn’t some sort of backwards nation. This bunch have nukes and a space programme. They should be spending some of that cash going around the country teaching the meaning of equality, and on having a robust police force who can go around locking these backwards idiots up.
Even in a society where women are seen as the equal of men you are going to have those who feel it is OK to attack women. When you have a country where a famous poem has the woman having to prove that she is pure after being attacked, then of course you are going to create a culture where rape is normalised.
There is only once person at fault for any rape and that is the attacker. The fact we have a place (and I doubt India is on its own) where the act of being raped can make you dirty is very, very sad.
Since then, he has specialised in articles on the battle for equal rights for sex workers, sexual health, as well as bringing the readers fun news from around the world. He also has a major interest in LGBT rights, and is an active campaigner in this field.
When he isn't fighting the good fight, he enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, and young daughter. He also enjoys reading and taking long walks.
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