Marital Rape: A Harsh Reality behind Closed Doors

Abstract

In India Marriage Institution is given a paramount importance in every individual’s life. India is the only country which is known for its variety of culture, tradition, custom, belief and most of all sanskara. Marriage is considered as a holy union or an eternal bond which cannot be easily broken up. Indian society believe that relationship arising out of legal wedlock is a purest form of relationship which is socially, morally and legally accepted by the majority of population but see the irony such a purest relation is also getting polluted when a married women becomes the victim of rape under marriage which is also known as spousal rape or Marital rape where her own husband forcefully and without her free consent commits sexual intercourse. One of the most heinous crimes that may be committed in India is marital rape. The crime of marital rape is not less serious than that of rape; rather, it is a form of rape. Marital rape typically affects married women. It poses one of the largest risks to India's gender justice system. It is one of those social ills that has been in India from antiquity and still causes havoc today. Marital rape has never been viewed negatively by Indian society. Due to a number of factors, it is rarely opposed by anyone in Indian society. The Indian judiciary offers some optimism in this area, but it is constrained by the fact that the legislature, not the judiciary, is responsible for making legislation. In India, there are no effective laws against marital rape. Whatever rules are in place in India, they are not sufficient to prevent a crime as heinous as marital rape. To stop marital rape in India, some tough regulations must be introduced.