WHAT IS RAPE CULTURE?

Rape culture is where certain individuals profit financially or from normalizing sexual
assault and abuse.
Media, pop culture, politics, the criminal justice system, and advertising are just a few of
the places where rape culture is present. It is continued in our homes, workplaces, schools,
and places of worship. Rape culture is ingrained in all of us. Sexual assault and violence are
normalized and downplayed in rape cultures. Where it is not sufficiently challenged by
society as a whole, accepted, excused, or laughed off.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF RAPE CULTURE

Rape practises date back to 900 BC. Women being raped frequently appeared in Greek
mythology. Zeus is thought to have "sexually raped" several different women. Medusa was
raped by Poseidon and afterwards punished for being raped in Athena's temple.
The Rape of the Sabine Women is one of the most prominent episodes of sexual abuse
against women during the Roman empire.

MEDIVAL SOCIETY
The same Raptus statute applied to both rape and kidnapping in mediaeval England. Raptus
derives from the Latin verb rapere, which means "to seize," which literally means "seized."
Raptus was a term used in ancient Roman law to describe a number of property offences.
The Raptus theory claimed that in rape cases, a woman's consent or lack thereof was
unimportant. The judicial system viewed a woman's agency as only being functional since
she could not stop or "not prevent" a crime against her.
One of the most renowned instances of sexual aggression against women is Tarquinius'
rape of Lucretia. Women who committed adultery at that period, whether voluntarily or
not, were subject to the death penalty. The woman was expected to "save herself."

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY
The most well-known example is Ahalya's tale, in which Indra impersonated her husband
Gautama and engaged in sexual relations with her, for which the two of them were cursed.
After Danda, the son of Ikshavaku, sexually assaulted Araja, the sage Shukracharya cursed
the kingdom, causing it to fall.
In Hindu mythology, Jalandhar was made vulnerable to death in battle by his wife Vrinda,
who had seduced him. By fooling them into having intercourse with him, the devil had led
women to believe that he was their husband. Because of his faithfulness and purity, none
of the spouses could murder him when they learned about it and waged war against him.
MODERN TIMES
Sexual assault victims and survivors are frequently reduced to heroic figures in activism or
the focus of the media. In this essay, we look at how the victim/survivor myth is employed
in the modern era to rationalize and normalize sexual assault against women. Sometimes
the victim is even denied her name and given a forced nomenclature, as Nirbhaya in Jyoti
Singh's case.
Sexual violence in mythology can have modern destructive consequences of many different
kinds. They frequently impact how young men and women perceive purity, honour, and
virginity, as well as how they perceive sexual assault.
Sexual assault victims and survivors are frequently reduced to heroic figures in activism or
the focus of the media. The victim/survivor myth is employed in the modern era to
rationalize and normalize sexual assault against women. Sometimes the victim is even
denied her name and given a forced nomenclature, as Nirbhaya in Jyoti Singh's case.
Sexual violence in mythology can have modern destructive consequences of many different
kinds. They frequently impact how young men and women perceive purity, honour, and
virginity, as well as how they perceive sexual assault.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF THE GROWING RAPE CULTURE IN INDIA

One of the causes of the sexual violence issue in India may be the low number of female
police officers. A woman who is being raped is more likely to report the incident to a female
police officer. However, because there aren't many female police officers in many states or
villages, women are forced to report their problems to a male officer, making them feel
even more uncomfortable. In most Indian societies, women who work late or out partying
are viewed as immoral and are the target of rape. Women are not safe in this society if the
general public believes this is the only cause of rape in India. To stop crime and prevent
rape in India, the general public must change its mindset and work together to safeguard
women from these societal ills. Only then will women be safe in society .
Years of socialization in a country like India have pushed a button in girls' spines that
activates Super Girl whenever a man is around. A variety of stereotyped female behaviours
are combined to form Super Girl. And this is what is encouraged by the training programme
of love dramas on prime-time television and the boundaries imposed by actual interactions
between men and women.
Women are misled into believing that we MUST do certain things to be accepted unless we
constantly fight against social forces. Women are more likely than males to smile, occupy
less space, defer to men when they interrupt, apologize before voicing an opinion, and
work tirelessly to shape their bodies to appeal to men. This is the rape culture. Girls offer
when males decide they want them.
Women apologize when they decline. Women's no-endings are broken up by their yes-
endings. Women sexualize their bodies for the benefit of men rather than for themselves.
Therefore they don't care about them enough to defend them. 
Rape is rarely acknowledged in the media as a cultural illness. When periodicals or news
programmes cover the topic, it's frequently in the context of rape by a stranger or rape in
extremely violent relationships. Or it may be determined to be the behaviour of a psychotic
guy or a potentially transitory epidemic. And avoidance is the proposed answer by the same
media. Avoid going out alone, walking alone, drinking too much, dressing too revealingly,
acting too aggressively, grinning excessively, or acting too insecure. Other things to avoid
include dark streets (obviously), bad situations (well, to most of us, a bar is a bad situation
in general), going out alone etc.

CONCLUSION
Women have historically underreported abuse, including domestic violence, rape, and
other crimes, in the Indian community because they feel ashamed, guilty, and protective of
their offenders, who may or may not be involved in a relationship. Additionally, victims
have feared reactions like terror, mistrust, and downright rejection. The imbalance in sex
ratio in society is a crucial issue for preventing this form of violence against women. to raise
awareness about girls' rights to child safety and equality with men. Respect girls and
women and give men and women in society equal opportunities.
Just more delicately. Weakness is devalued, and to be raped in these crazy times is to be
weak; thus, acknowledging weakness is defiant. Liberals believe equality has been attained
while postmodern theory waxes rhapsodic about inclusion and identity politics. Young
women accept these positions at face value and ignore the ongoing propagation of rape
culture because of the code of sex-positive cool. Rape is not an epidemic that inexplicably
increased in the middle of the 1970s when feminists brought it to light. It is not an
emergency that can be stopped with a single shot. It is an all-encompassing societal
sickness that affects every aspect of life.
Typhoid can be wiped out by science, and if a developed economy can do the same for
typhoid, then an informed and educated society with new morals can wipe out the social
germ of rape. In this new century, can rape be stopped? If we are prepared to recognize
and eradicate the elements of our cultural environment that encourage rape.
CITATIONS
1. Alyn Pearson “Rape culture: Media and Message” off our backs: pp. 13-14
2. Jeremy Posadas “Teaching the Cause of Rape Culture: Toxic Masculinity” Indiana University Press on behalf
of FSR, Inc: pp. 177-179
3. Google