Sunit Bagree

Confronting Rape Apologists

Rape is endemic in Liberia. On average, there are eight reports of rape every week, making it the most reported serious crime in the country. An unknown number of further attacks take place but go unreported.

Poor enforcement of the rape law, which was enacted amidst much fanfare in December last year, reflects the urgent need for comprehensive reform of the police, judiciary and penal system. Rehabilitation services that provide psychological and physical healing to victims of rape (and thus support them to rebuild their lives) must also be significantly improved.

Another major challenge exists with regards to socio-cultural attitudes towards rape. Rape victims endure severe social stigma. And, shockingly, the view that women who present themselves in ‘inappropriate’ ways deserve to be raped remains pervasive. Even some sections of the media have given a platform to rape apologists.

The notion that rape may be justified in certain circumstances must be condemned in the strongest terms. In doing so, it is useful to expose the psychological functions that underpin this line of thought.

National and international laws determine people’s legal rights and responsibilities. What constitutes ‘decent’ behaviour beyond this is a matter of opinion and can be legitimately debated. However, even if a woman is guilty of committing a crime, rape should never be used as a form of punishment.

Indeed, there are absolutely no legal or moral grounds to rape a person under any circumstances. Rape is cruel, degrading and, ultimately, dehumanizing. When a woman is raped, her control over her personal security and integrity is violently taken away and she suffers psychological trauma. Claiming that women deserve to be raped if they dress or speak in a particular manner is nothing short of a desperate attempt to defend a vicious and destructive practice.

It is important to note that there is a long history of men using violence (both sexual and non-sexual) to secure their interests at the expense of women. Rape is a violent form of control – not a loss of control. Thus when rape does occur, it is always the sole responsibility of the rapist.

The idea that women somehow provoke an attack assumes that men are unable to control themselves. This is not only insulting to women who have suffered through the ordeal, -doeba bropleh 4/27/10 12:06 PM  it -doeba bropleh 4/27/10 12:07 PM also fails to acknowledge the vast majority of men who are perfectly able to show women respect and conduct themselves properly when engaging with the opposite sex.

So what motivates rape apologists? Their twisted reasoning is an example of how patriarchal beliefs about male entitlement to women’s bodies result in multiple layers of harm to women and to wider society. Patriarchal discourses have also led to domination over and discrimination against women in social, economic and political spheres (as has been noted in various Declarations and Conventions of the United Nations). This may be understood as structural violence as opposed to the direct violence of rape.

I believe that there are additional, though related, psychological functions at play. Poverty, violent conflict and the influence of globalization (in the broadest sense of the term) have bred widespread feelings of anger, shame and powerlessness in Liberia. Some men find it convenient to exploit women’s vulnerability and blame them for these problems. This represents an irrational way of relieving negative emotions.

Those who rape take this scapegoating to an extreme. Rapists desire to force women to experience the same feelings of anger, shame and powerlessness. They accomplish this by inflicting physical and mental torture upon women. Those who attempt to excuse rape encourage people to at least ignore or, like the rape apologists themselves, actively justify the direct violence of rape. This is a form of cultural violence.

A key consequence of cultural violence is that women’s perceptions of safety become distorted. If it is generally accepted that women are to blame whenever they suffer rape, then a woman might imagine that she can protect herself by being careful and sensible. The truth is that an attack can take place against any woman, at any time, and in any place.

Acts of violence against women – including rape – must be prevented and punished. And it is essential for victims to have prompt access to high-quality rehabilitation services. But there is also a need for a major country-wide campaign on violence against women. Such a campaign should aim to raise awareness about legal and human rights, reduce stigmatization of victims and challenge the bogus arguments of rape apologists.