Today’s latest update in the “rape is a woman’s fault” category comes from Tunisia. Are you ready?
“You have made a mistake! Have you made a mistake or not?” roared Alaa Chebbi, a Tunisian TV presenter, to a 17-year-old pregnant rape survivor on his television show.
Three members of her family repeatedly raped Hajar, a 17-year-old girl and consequently, she is now eight-months pregnant. But according to this TV host, the rape was the girl’s mistake.
Sounds familiar?
Also Read: A Delhi Court Endorses Marriage of a Minor Girl to Her Rapist
Shortly after the show aired, Tunisian regulators suspended the show for three months stating that it had “violated human dignity”.
Also Read: Judge Asked Her to Settle and Now She’s Married to Her Rapist
According to Tunisian law, if a rapist marries a rape survivor, then rape charges are dropped against the perpetrator. Similar laws also exist in Morocco and Algeria. Tunisian activists are currently demanding that the law be changed.
But ‘marry your rapist’ is often seen as an easy solution for sexual violence, even in India. In a country where reporting a rape and the struggle for justice is enveloped and social stigma, most rape survivors in India are asked to reach a ‘compromise’ with their rapist.
‘Marry Your Rapist’: An Oft-Cited Compromise for Rape
“Marry your rapist.”
That’s what a panchayat told a 19-year-old rape survivor in Haryana. Six months after she married her rapist, she committed suicide. In her suicide note she accused her husband and in-laws of harassing her for dowry and legal expenses for the rape case.
Also Read: What After Rape? Forced to Marry Her Rapist, Girl Commits Suicide
Earlier, in February 2016, a 15-year old rape survivor, Sonia (name changed) was duped into marrying her alleged rapist. What happened when she went to court? A Delhi court judge, Vikas Dhull, endorsed the marriage of the minor as legal and granted bail to the alleged rapist.
In India, even the courts think ‘marry your rapist’ is an alternative to justice for a rape survivor. A judgement by Madras High Court judge P Devadass in which he suggested a rape victim (then a minor) should reach a settlement with her rapist.
But for a woman who has been violated in the most intimate way, how does one ask her to forget the trauma and marry the perpetrator of rape? Why do we still think compromise is a viable short-cut to justice?
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