Victim blaming in rape is a social illness
Rape is one of the oldest crimes in the history of humankind. From classical Greece and Rome to the 21st century, we could not get rid of this terrible crime. In 2006 there were 8.1 rape cases per population of 100 thousand in Bangladesh, but in 2020 there were 38.4 cases per population of hundred thousand. In 14 years, the percentage of rape has more than doubled.
When we think about this increasing rate of rape, there comes a question. We can do anything if we want to do it. We can make medicines and robots which can talk like us. So why can't we control rape?
Why can't they teach their son that no matter how someone dresses, it is that person's right, and he has no right to judge the person or harass the person. Women are free and independent, and we are citizens of an independent country, and we can wear whatever we want to
One of the main issues in increasing rape cases is victim-blaming. Most of the time, when someone gets raped, we hear someone else saying, "She got raped, so what? She must be at fault. We never got raped. What has she done? What was she doing out this late at night? Why was she drunk? Or why was she wearing something like that? Even some months ago, the head of the government of a South Asian country said the same thing, that we should not wear things that make a man rape us.
First, people must understand that being raped has nothing to do with our clothes or our being out. No matter what, we can't blame the victims. Raping someone is a mental illness. It's also a way to dominate women. It's a way to give us a message that if we want to do something outside the box, someone's going to hurt us and we should stay at the home to be protected. So why do people think that we are raped for our lifestyle?
The explanation is simple. Most of the things we do or believe have a reflection of our family. What we hear and see from our childhood stays with us for the rest of our life. From our childhood we have seen our parents saying that we should not stay out late at night or we should not dress the way we like. We have to be the way society wants us to be. A girl's parents are all the more particular about this. That's why when a person sees someone doing something or dressing however they like, makes him think that it is the person's fault.
What if our parents made the same effort to raise their son as well? Why can't they teach their son that no matter how someone dresses, it is that person's right, and he has no right to judge the person or harass the person. Women are free and independent, and we are citizens of an independent country, and we can wear whatever we want to. Who are they to judge us? Our girls need to be taught the same lesson.
And if we talk about" it's not safe," I will say it's never going to be safe until we make it safe. It's a war for us and our counterparts. If you want to win the war, then we have to fight against all odds. And if we win this war, the world will be safe for us, and if you want to win the war, we all need to be together fighting alongside.
A long time ago cave people invented clothes for protection from the sun and cold. We still use our clothes for the same reasons, both men and women. Our dressing style never makes a man harass us and we have to give this message to our next generation that both men and women have the same rights in all things. If a man can dress the way he likes, women can also dress the way she likes. It's never our dressing style that makes a man rape us. It's their rotten mind. We have to acknowledge that and we have to fight against that.