Hawked Bride: Sexual Exploitation Behind The Veil Of Sacrament- A Study

Aastha Goyal, School of Law, NMIMS, Hyderabad

“The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race.”

– Susan B. Anthony

INTRODUCTION

Men and women should play equal roles in the development and growth of humanity, but women have always been humiliated by men; rape is an excellent example of atrocities committed against women's dignity. Rape is one of the most heinous and barbaric crimes against women ever committed. Marital rape is one of the most contentious and divisive issues in India, despite the fact that it is not considered a crime. Since the dawn of time, women have been treated as objects of pleasure. They have been subjected to rape, sodomy, sexual harassment, female infanticide, and other crimes. The rate of crime against women has risen dramatically in recent years, as the public fights for equal rights for men and women. Rape is a crime that causes women all over the world to suffer. Other countries have attempted to enact legislation that protects women. India is focused on protecting and preventing crimes against women, but due to a lack of legal provisions that recognise marital rape as a crime, it fails to protect a married woman from her rapist, who is often her husband. The criminalization of marital rape is urgently required.