Marital Rapes in India

A Theoretical framework on the Marital Rape Laws in India

Women and Law :PSDA

Submitted by:

Dhruv Shakuntlam, IV C

15010303814
INTRODUCTION

Marriage is an institution which admits men and women to family life. It generates love and
trust. It is a stable relationship in which a man and a woman are socially permitted to have
children implying the right to sexual relations.2 Institution of marriage gives permission to a
male and a female to live together under customary and statutory law. It is a special bond shared
between two souls, who tie the wedding knot after promising to be companions for a lifetime. It
is the physical, mental and spiritual unison of two souls.3 When a male marries with a female, it
means man is duty bound to give due respect to the dignity of wife. Now question arises whether
marriage gives right to the husband to have sex with his wife forcefully or in other words, is
marriage takes away the right of a lady to refuse to have sex with her husband. It is a debatable
question in India in present scenario. Marriage generates confidence in wife that husband will
provide safety and respect her dignity and when he commits unwanted/forcefully intercourse
with his wife, it breaks this confidence and breaches the trust of the wife. In such circumstances,
what is the need of providing immunity to the husband from committing rape with his own wife?
This immunity has now been withdrawn in most major jurisdictions. In England and Wales, the
House of Lords held in 1991 that the status of married women had changed beyond all
recognition since Hale set out his proposition. Most importantly, Lord Keith, speaking for the
Court, declared, marriage is in modern times regarded as a partnership of equals and no longer
one in which the wife must be the subservient chattel of the husband.4 Article 2 of the
Declaration of the Elimination of Violence against Women includes marital rape explicitly in the
definition of violence against women.5 Indian criminal law also demands changes and inclusion
of marital rape in section 375 of Indian Penal Code. In the present scenario in India husband and
wife both are having separate legal entity. Women in India are not only giving their major
assistance in home but also outside the home. Marital rape breaches her trust on her husband

Theoretical Framework

Marital Rape is unwanted intercourse by a man with his wife where consent is obtained by force,
threat of force, or physical violence, or when she is not in a condition to give consent. Marital
rape could be conducted by the use of force only, whih can be in form of sadistic or obsessive
rape. It is a non-consensual act of violent perversion by a husband against the wife where she is
physically and sexually abused.

Approximations have quoted that every 6 hours; a young married woman is burnt or beaten to
death, or driven to suicide from emotional abuse by her husband. The UN Population Fund states
that more than 2/3rds of married women in India, aged between 15 to 49 have been beaten, raped
or forced to provide sex. In 2005, 6787 cases were recorded of women murdered by their
husbands or their husbands families. 56% of Indian women believed occasional wife-beating to
be justified.

Historically, Raptus, the generic term of rape was to imply violent theft, applied to both
property and person. It was synonymous with abduction and a womans abduction or sexual
molestation, was merely the theft of a woman against the consent of her guardian or those with
legal power over her. The harm, ironically, was treated as a wrong against her father or husband,
women being wholly owned subsidiaries.

The marital rape exemption can be traced to statements by Sir Mathew Hale, Chief Justice in
England, during the 1600s. He wrote, The husband cannot be guilty of a rape committed by
himself upon his lawful wife, for by their mutual matrimonial consent and contract, the wife hath
given herself in kind unto the husband, whom she cannot retract.

Not surprisingly, thus, married women were never the subject of rape laws. Laws bestowed an
absolute immunity on the husband in respect of his wife, solely on the basis of the marital
relation. The revolution started with women activists in America raising their voices in the 1970s
for elimination of marital rape exemption clause and extension of guarantee of equal protection
to women.

In the present day, studies indicate that between 10 and 14% of married women are raped by
their husbands: the incidents of marital rape soars to 1/3rd to among clinical samples of
battered women. Sexual assault by ones spouse accounts for approximately 25% of rapes
committed. Women who became prime targets for marital rape are those who attempt to flee.
Criminal charges of sexual assault may be triggered by other acts, which may include genital
contact with the mouth or anus or the insertion of objects into the vagina or the anus, all without
the consent of the victim. It is a conscious process of intimidation and assertion of the superiority
of men over women.

Advancing well into the timeline, marital rape is not an offence in India. Despite amendments,
law commissions and new legislations, one of the most humiliating and debilitating acts is not an
offence in India. A look at the options a woman has to protect herself in a marriage, tells us that
the legislations have been either non-existent or obscure and everything has just depended on the
interpretation by Courts.

Rape under IPC

Section 375, the provision of rape in the Indian Penal Code (IPC), has echoing very archaic
sentiments, mentioned as its exception clause- Sexual intercourse by man with his own wife,
the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape. Section 376 of IPC provides punishment
for rape. According to the section, the rapist should be punished with imprisonment of either
description for a term which shall not be less than 7 years but which may extend to life or for a
term extending up to 10 years and shall also be liable to fine unless the woman raped is his own
wife, and is not under 12 years of age, in which case, he shall be punished with imprisonment of
either description for a term which may extend to 2 years with fine or with both.

This section in dealing with sexual assault, in a very narrow purview lays down that, an offence
of rape within marital bonds stands only if the wife be less than 12 years of age, if she be
between 12 to 16 years, an offence is committed, however, less serious, attracting milder
punishment. Once, the age crosses 16, there is no legal protection accorded to the wife, in direct
contravention of human rights regulations.

How can the same law provide for the legal age of consent for marriage to be 18 while protecting
form sexual abuse, only those up to the age of 16? Beyond the age of 16, there is no remedy the
woman has.

The wifes role has traditionally been understood as submissive, docile and that of a homemaker.
Sex has been treated as obligatory in a marriage and also taboo. Atleast the discussion openly of
it, hence, the awareness remains dismal. Economic independence, a dream for many Indian
women still is an undeniably important factor for being heard and respected. With the women
being fed the bitter medicine of being good wives, to quietly serve and not wash dirty linen in
public, even counseling remains inaccessible.

Legislators use results of research studies as an excuse against making marital rape an offence,
which indicates that many survivors of marital rape, report flash back, sexual dysfunction,
emotional pain, even years out of the violence and worse, they sometimes continue living with
the abuser. For these reasons, even the latest report of the Law Commission has preferred to
adhere to its earlier opinion of non-recognition of rape within the bonds of marriage as such a
provision may amount top excessive interference wit the marital relationship.

A marriage is a bond of trust and that of affection. A husband exercising sexual superiority, by
getting it on demand and through any means possible, is not part of the institution. Surprisingly,
this is not, as yet, in any law book in India.

The very definition of rape (section 375 of IPC) demands change. The narrow definition has
been criticized by Indian and international womens and children organizations, who insist that
including oral sex, sodomy and penetration by foreign objects within the meaning of rape would
not have been inconsistent with nay constitutional provisions, natural justice or equity. Even
international law now says that rape may be accepted a s the sexual penetration, not just penal
penetration, but also threatening, forceful, coercive use of force against the victim, or the
penetration by any object, however slight. Article 2 of the Declaration of the Elimination of
Violence against Women includes marital rape explicitly in the definition of violence against
women. Emphasis on these provisions is not meant to tantalize, but to give the victim and not the
criminal, the benefit of doubt.

Marital rape is illegal in 18 American States, 3 Australian States, New Zealand, Canada, Israel,
France, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Soviet Union, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Rape in any
form is an act of utter humiliation, degradation and violation rather than an outdated concept of
penile/vaginal penetration. Restricting an understanding of rape reaffirms the view that rapists
treat rape as sex and not violence and hence, condone such behaviour.

The importance of consent for every individual decision cannot be over emphasized. A woman
can protect her right to life and liberty, but not her body, within her marriage, which is just
ironical. Women so far have had recourse only to section 498-A of the IPC, dealing with cruelty,
to protect themselves against perverse sexual conduct by the husband. But, where is the
standard of measure or interpretation for the courts, of perversion or unnatural, the definitions
within intimate spousal relations? Is excessive demand for sex perverse? Isnt consent a sine qua
non? Is marriage a license to rape? There is no answer, because the judiciary and the legislature
have been silent.

Justice Verma Committee

For strengthening anti-rape law, Indian government constituted Justice Verma Committee on
December 23, 2012 after the rape of a twenty-three year old student in Delhi, comprising retired
Justice J.S. Verma, retired Justice Leila Seth and Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium to look
into the possible amendments in the criminal laws related to sexual violence against women.27
In view of the significance and urgency of the task, the committee undertook to perform it within
30 days, which task has been completed. The Committee is conscious of the recommendations in
respect of India made by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW Committee) in February 2007. The CEDAW Committee has recommended
that the country should widen the definition of rape in its Penal Code to reflect the realities of
sexual abuse experienced by women and to remove the exception of marital rape from the
definition of rape..The Verma committee report points out a 2010 study suggesting that 18.8
percent of women are raped by their partners on one or more occasion. Rate of reporting and
conviction also remain low; aggravated by the prevalent beliefs that marital rape is acceptable or
is less serious than other types of rape. 29 The recommendation of Justice Verma Committee
regarding deleting exception of marital rape is not included in Criminal Law Amendment Bill,
2013 passed by the Lok Sabha on 19 March 2013 and by the Rajya Sabha on 21 March 2013.
The Bill received Presidential assent on 2 April 2013 and deemed to come into force from 3
February 2013. The word rape has been replaced with sexual assault in Section 375.30 Rashida
Manjoo, the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women said that Justice Verma
committees recommendation and subsequent legislation was a golden moment for India but
recommendations on marital rape, age of consent for sex, etc. were not adopted in the
legislation.31 The government is hesitant to criminalize marital rape because it would require
them to change laws based on religious practices, including the Hindu Marriage Act 1955, which
says a wife is duty-bound to have sex with her husband.32 The parliamentary panel examining
the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill, 2012, said that "In India, for ages, the family system has
evolved ... Family is able to resolve the (marital) problems and there is also a provision under the
law for cruelty against women, It was, therefore, felt that if marital rape is brought under the law,
the entire family system will be under great stress and the committee may perhaps be doing more
injustice

The 172nd Law Commission report had made the following recommendations for substantial
change in the law with regard to rape.

1. Rape should be replaced by the term sexual assault.

2. Sexual intercourse as contained in section 375 of IPC should include all forms of
penetration such as penile/vaginal, penile/oral, finger/vaginal, finger/anal and
object/vaginal.

3. In the light of Sakshi v. Union of India and Others [2004 (5) SCC 518], sexual assault on
any part of the body should be construed as rape.

4. Rape laws should be made gender neutral as custodial rape of young boys has been
neglected by law.

5. A new offence, namely section 376E with the title unlawful sexual conduct should be
created.

6. Section 509 of the IPC was also sought to be amended, providing higher punishment
where the offence set out in the said section is committed with sexual intent.

7. Marital rape: explanation (2) of section 375 of IPC should be deleted. Forced sexual
intercourse by a husband with his wife should be treated equally as an offence just as any
physical violence by a husband against the wife is treated as an offence. On the same
reasoning, section 376 A was to be deleted.

8. Under the Indian Evidence Act (IEA), when alleged that a victim consented to the sexual
act and it is denied, the court shall presume it to be so.

Domestic Violence Act

The much awaited Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (DVA) has also been a disappointment. It has
provided civil remedies to what the provision of cruelty already gave criminal remedies, while
keeping the status of the matter of marital rape in continuing disregard. Section 3 of the
Domestic Violence Act, amongst other things in the definition of domestic violence, has
included any act causing harm, injury, anything endangering health, life, etc., mental,
physical, or sexual.

It condones sexual abuse in a domestic relationship of marriage or a live-in, only if it is life

INDIAN EVIDENCE ACT

Section 122 of the Indian Evidence Act prevents communication during marriage from being
disclosed in court except when one married partner is being persecuted for n offence against the
other. Since, marital rape is not an offence, the evidence is inadmissible, although relevant,
unless it is a prosecution for battery, or some related physical or mental abuse under the
provision of cruelty. Setting out to prove the offence of marital rape in court, combining the
provisions of the DVA and IPC will be a nearly impossible task.

The trouble is, it has been accepted that a marital relationship is practically sacrosanct. Rather
than, making the wife worship the husbands every whim, especially sexual, it is supposed to
thrive n mutual respect and trust. It is much more traumatic being a victim of rape by someone
known, a family member, and worse to have to cohabit with him. How can the law ignore such a
huge violation of a fundamental right of freedom of any married woman, the right to her body, to
protect her from any abuse?

As a final piece of argument to show the pressing need for protection of woman, here are some
effects a rape victim may have to live with,-

Physical injuries to vaginal and anal areas, lacerations, bruising.

Anxiety, shock, depression and suicidal thoughts.

Gynecological effects including miscarriage, stillbirths, bladder infections, STDs and

Long drawn symptoms like insomnia, eating disorders, sexual dysfunction, and negative
self image.

Marriage does not thrive on sex and the fear of frivolous litigation should not stop protection
from being offered to those caught in abusive traps, where they are denigrated to the status of
chattel. Apart form judicial awakening; we primarily require generation of awareness. Men are
the perpetrators of this crime. Educating boys and men to view women as valuable partners in
life, in the development of society and the attainment of peace are just as important as taking
legal steps protect womens human rights, says the UN. Men have the social, economic, moral,
political, religious and social responsibility to combat all forms of gender discrimination.

In a country rife with misconceptions of rape, deeply ingrained cultural and religious stereotypes,
and changing social values, globalization has to fast alter the letter of law.

Sex with Minor Wife

The move is expected to go a long way in discouraging the practice of child marriage in India. It
is also likely to have a bearing on the criminality of marital rape, an issue which has been widely
debated both by Parliament and the courts.

The exception carved out under section 375 (which defines rape) exempting marital rape for
minors is artificial and contrary of Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution of India, said
justice Madan B. Lokur, while pronouncing the judgment.

In a concurring judgment, passed by justices Lokur and Deepak Gupta, the court read down the
provision of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860 which exempted marital rape in case of minors.

The purposive reading down was done to bring it in line with the Protection of Children from
Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, in the spirit of other pro-child legislation and the human
rights of a married girl child.

The earlier age of 15 years has now been modified to 18 years for claiming exemption under the
amended rape provisions.

Accordingly, the exemption clause now readssexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with
his own wife, the wife not being under eighteen years of age, is not rape.

It was also clarified that the court had not gone into the issue of marital rape since it did not form
the subject matter of the case before it. Rights advocates welcomed the ruling.

It is a landmark ruling which comes as a win for all those fighting for child rights, violence
against children, etc. It will definitely help to reduce child marriage and exploitation of young
girls. But I cannot say how it will be implemented. Since the implementation will have to be
done by the police, they should be adequately trained so that they cannot use a lacunae in the
ruling for not implementing it in the right spirit, said Rishi Kant, social activist at anti-
trafficking non-government organization (NGO) Shakti Vahini

Conclusion

Rape is a most heinous crime committed on a woman. It is immaterial whether women are
married or unmarried. Rape is rape irrespective of the fact that who commits it either husband or
stranger. Marital rape also violates the human right of a married woman i.e. safety and integrity.
Government of India is reluctant in making marital rape a crime. If a woman marries, it should
not mean that she has lost her dignity against her husband. She cannot be considered as a
property of the husband. She should be empowered to say no, if she is not willing to have sex
with her husband. Husband should not be allowed to force his wife to have sex with him. Rape
should be considered only rape without any exception of marital rape. Marriage should not be
considered as a license of committing rape.