Crying Rape

implored for death penalty for all rapists. The public

outcry was so vociferous that the Parliament passed a powerful anti-rape bill prescribing severe punishment for those found guilty.

Sadly,not a day goes by without a ghastly incident of female sexual assault making headlines. Harsher penalties for this heinous crime have not proved an effective deterrent as we had hoped they would. Infants,teenagers,married women,and even elderly widows continue to become victims of male depravity daily. The need of the hour is to sensitise men to respect women and not treat them as sex

objects. Unless we can effect social change from the

grassroot level,rapes will continue unabated.

We have enacted legislation that deals stringently with rapists. As with all laws,it is a dangerous weapon in the hands of those who choose to abuse it. A sacked housemaid,a disgruntled employee,a spurned lover,or anyone with an axe to grind can make a false allegation of sexual assault. For the thousands of brave women who summon up courage to confront their rapists in court,there may be one misguided soul who will cry rape to extort money or settle scores.

A couple of days ago,I was dismayed to read of a Mumbai woman who had lost several crores betting on the IPL and refused to pay her bookie,threatening to accuse him of rape if he insisted on recovering his dues.

Recently,a Delhi judge observed that once a man has been arrested for rape,he is forced to live a life of stigma even after acquittal.

He noted that the legal principle of reliance on the sole testimony of the victim had become “an easy weapon” to implicate anyone. The accused is often tortured in police custody,subjected to a punishing trial by media and assumed guilty regardless of which way the evidence points. Living in

terror at the loss of reputation and of freedom,it is impossible to imagine the nightmare a man falsely accused of rape endures.

Bowing to the demands of the Indian people,the Parliament enacted a stronger anti-rape bill. It is wise to balance the scales of justice and frame harsher punishment against those that cry rape. It is vital we remember that brutal and horrific as rape is for the victim,it is no less harrowing for the falsely accused,fighting to uphold his own honour and dignity.

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