Ah, the age-old tradition of blaming women for being, well, women. It’s almost like a national pastime at this point.
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Every day, countless reports surface of women facing sexual assault, and what do we do? We conveniently point fingers at her dress, her smile, her "friendliness"—even her very existence seems to be an invitation for blame. And now, we’ve added a new twist to the blame game: communal colour. Because clearly, the issue isn’t the crime itself, it’s which community the perpetrator belongs to.
Let’s get one thing straight - rape doesn’t have a religion, and it sure as hell doesn’t have a political party. But lo and behold, our elected representatives have found a way to twist this grotesque crime into their latest election slogan. A crime that shatters lives and strips away humanity is now reduced to just another tool in their political toolbox. How charming!
But hey, why stop at blaming women or communalising rape? Let’s dig deeper into the cesspool of excuses. Rape isn’t happening because of one community or another—it’s happening because society has long treated women as nothing more than objects. It’s because men feel an unfathomable sense of entitlement, and why not? When rape is reduced to just another “boys will be boys” moment, why would they think otherwise?
And spare me the “educated people don’t rape” nonsense. Yes, because clearly, the guy who roofied his friend’s drink was only offering a “complimentary” beverage. Or how about the boss who insists on those late-night “work” sessions with his female employees? Just good old professional bonding, right? Let’s not forget those spiritual leaders who take their “divine” duty a bit too literally. And for the pièce de résistance, there’s always the authority figure who turns a blind eye—or worse, takes advantage—when women seek help.
But what’s truly delightful is the collective outrage that flares up like a bad rash only when the crime is too heinous to ignore. A nurse raped and murdered in Uttarakhand? A 3.5-year-old child assaulted by a 9-year-old? Nursery children molested by a man? Still nothing. But give us a gruesome headline and a political angle, and suddenly we’re all warriors for justice. The hypocrisy is almost laughable—if it weren’t so tragic.
And what of the women who dare not report their assaults? Oh, but of course, they’re wrong too. It’s their fault they don’t want to relive their trauma, face a barrage of questions, and ultimately be blamed for the crime committed against them. Because clearly, the logical thing to do after being assaulted is to parade yourself through a gauntlet of shame and disbelief.
But no, let’s not address the real issue. Let’s not confront the systemic misogyny, the societal rot that perpetuates rape culture. Instead, let’s just keep painting the problem with communal colours, twisting it into political fodder, and blaming women for simply existing. After all, why fix a problem when you can just cover it up with another layer of nonsense?
So, here’s a thought: maybe, just maybe, we should focus on the crime itself—no communal colours, no political spin, just the brutal, unvarnished truth. Rape is rape. It’s high time we stopped trying to turn it into anything else.
(All views and opinions expressed in the article are the author’s own)
