Shraddha Kothari, B.B.A. LL.B, University of Petroleum and Energy Studies
ABSTRACT
In today's society, male rape is considered a myth. It has taken decades for society to acknowledge female rape victims, but now is the time to broaden the definition of "rape" and recognize that other genders can also be raped. This article examines statistics from several countries that reveal that men and LGBTQ+ people are also raped, but their voices are silenced. This article discusses the laws of the IPC and POCSO, as well as how adult males are viewed as perpetrators of rape and women as victims of rape. Male children are protected under POCSO; however adult male rape victims are not protected under Indian law. The world has seen a lot of movements and tried to raise the voice for the enactment of gender neutral laws. India, the world's largest democracy, nevertheless has a long way to go before enacting gender-neutral legislation in all fields. While Article 15 of the Constitution empowers the parliament to enact women-centric legislation, it does not address male protection. This paper primarily focuses on rape myths and stereotypes that involve false assumption about male rape victims.
Keywords: male rape, victims, perpetrators, LGBTQ+, POCSO, IPC, male rape myths.
