Rape culture
What differentiates humans from animals is a sense of collective consciousness that is woven together by morals, virtues and reason. This harmony between the ego and id has allowed us to form complex communities and civilisations. It helps us to create a criterion for what is right and what is wrong. But what happens when our core belief systems that are deeply ingrained in our subconscious start to fall apart? In Sarai Mughal, a village located in Punjab’s Kasur district, six girls aged 5 to 15 years were allegedly raped or subjected to rape during the last one month. The police only sprang into action after scores of villagers took to the streets and staged a protest. Sadly, this is not an isolated instance as such incidents have been rampant all across Pakistan. Those that still question the prevalence of ‘rape culture’ in Pakistan need to sift through the news as multiple cases are reported daily, while a large many still go unnoticed.
Society enables rape. It is as simple and as complex as that. However, there is more. Where do ideas of sexual objectification, harassment and slut-shaming — behaviours commonly associated with rape culture — stem from? From a psychological perspective, there can be two main reasons. First, when an individual is constantly alienated from his sense of being or individuality, they are reduced to their basic animal instincts and pursue their desires by any means necessary, for the purpose of gratification. Second, when society as a whole faces moral degradation, psychic structures that make up our ideological reality get so mutilated that the lines between what is right and wrong completely vanish. In such a situation, acts of sexual violence and rape are justified by the psyche, making it easier for the individual to carry it out. In order to combat the rape culture, there not only needs to be a reevaluation of societal morals but also a drastic change in the way we view sexuality and gender.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2020.
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