Nikita Bansal, Kirit P. Mehta School of Law, NMIMS, Mumbai
ABSTRACT
Rape is a crime that is upsurging at a very high rate nowadays. Now the definition of rape or say the meaning of rape is changed. Earlier, rape was defined as intercourse by a man with a woman without her consent and will, forcefully. Now it is not the same i.e. it is defined by the rapist and the victim. If penetration takes place either orally with any organ or object without the consent of the victim then it is said to be rape. Even statutory rapes are also increasing and were most prevalent in South Africa during apartheid.These days, crimes range from raping an 8-month-old baby to an 84-year-old mother. However, our Indian laws also grant some rights to rape victims. Every rape victim's rights are explained in detail in this article.
In this paper, I will try to analyse the barriers to justice the victims face and also explain the impact of such heinous incidents on the victims, their family as well as other people in the young generation. This paper will give an analysis of the rape victims and how they suffer if they protest and raise their voices for justice with the help of Delhi gang rape case study- The Nirbhaya case.
Keywords: Rape, Rape victims, Statutory rape, stigma, Barriers to justice
