Why wont India criminalize marital

rape? Because marriage is sacrament,

the government says

A protester lights candles during a vigil to mark the first anniversary of the Delhi gang
rape, in New Delhi on Dec. 16, 2013. (Reuters/Adnan Abidi)

By Adam Taylor-April 30

In recent years sexual violence has become a subject of fierce debate within India,
with new legislation put in place in 2013 designed to protect women from harassment,
assault and rape. Despite some progress made, critics say the government has failed to
address a number of specific issues in Indian society related to sexual violence.

One such issue is marital rape an act of non-consensual sex where the perpetrator's
spouse is the victim. India's Criminal Law (Amendment) Act from 2013 specifically
excluded this form of abuse, stating: "Sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with
his own wife, the wife not being under fifteen years of age, is not rape." Instead, under
the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act passed in 2005, marital rape
victims are offered only civil remedies to their cases.
This exemption has been challenged by activists both inside and outside of India. So
this week, India's government released a statement explaining why, in India, marital
rape is not criminalized.
[India fails to silence a BBC film exposing the New Delhi bus gang rape]
"It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally,
cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context due to various factors e.g. level of
education/illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values, religious beliefs,
mindset of the society to treat the marriage as a sacrament, etc," Haribhai Parathibhai
Chaudhary, minister of state for home affairs, said in a written statement.
The statement also said there was no proposal within India's government, now led by
Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, to change the law.
Many found the response lacking. Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, the politician who posed
the question to India's government, expressed disappointment with the answer and
said the argument about marriage being a sacrament was unconvincing.
I accept that the institution of marriage is an integral part of our social structure.
Many people across many faiths hold it sacred. But it has not stopped us from bringing
the anti-dowry law or domestic violence legislation, Karunanidhi told the Hindu
newspaper. Today, we are more receptive to womens rights and issues. This is not
against our culture. It is about protecting our women from violence and abuse."

On Twitter, some users criticized and mocked Chaudhary's statement.

Veena Venugopal @veenavenugopal
Basically, the govt is saying marriage is sacred, but wife's right to refuse sex on any
grounds is not. #maritalrape
12:23 AM - 30 Apr 2015
Karuna Nundy @karunanundy
17 yr old's husband rapes her = legal 17 yr old makes love to boyfriend = rape, he
goes to adult jail #MaritalRape #JuvenileJustice
5:46 PM - 29 Apr 2015
fluffy @curiousgawker
marital rape, or as we call it in india, marriage
12:54 PM - 30 Apr 2015
The Justice Verma committee, set up after a notorious gang rape in Delhi to
recommend changes to India's legal system, had recommended marital rape be
criminalized in 2013. However, it was rejected by the government, then held by the
Congress Party. That year a group of lawmakers presented a report to parliament that
opposed changing the law, arguing that if "marital rape is brought under the law, the
entire family system will be under great stress."
Activists say that by not criminalizing marital rape, the Indian government is ignoring
an enormous problem in sexual violence. Research from social scientist Aashish
Gupta suggests that Indian women are far more likely to face sexual violence from
their husband than from other men, but just one percent of marital rapes are reported.
Many countries around the world criminalized marital rape in the 20th century, with
all 50 states in the United States considering the rape of a spouse a crime by the 1990s.
However, there remain a number of countries that have not criminalized marital rape,
including China and India, the world's two largest countries by population.
Read more:

Two years after infamous Delhi gang rape, India isnt any safer
Battered women in China could finally get a measure of legal protection
How laws around the world do and do not protect women from violence

Adam Taylor writes about foreign affairs for The Washington Post.
Originally from London, he studied at the University of Manchester and
Columbia University.
Posted by Thavam