We are all apprised about the fact that people from the LGBTQ community often have to deal with violence, discrimination and sexual assault. However, the most heinous evil that this community contends with (particularly in developing and underdeveloped countries where heterosexuality is the pronounced norm) is corrective rape.
Corrective rape is the use of rape against people who do not conform to perceived social norms regarding human sexuality or gender roles. The goal is to punish perceived abnormal behaviour and reinforce societal norms. Corrective rape, also called curative or homophobic rape is essentially a hate crime in which one or more people are raped because of their perceived sexual orientation such as homosexuality or bisexuality. The common intended consequence of the rape, as claimed by the perpetrator, is to turn the person into a heterosexual.
Now families in rural India have their own ways of dealing with LGBTQ people; far away from gay pride parades, meet-ups and intense Twitter debates. Honour killings and corrective rapes are rampant here.
In the words of Radhika Nair, a gender rights activist, "Corrective rape purports to cure what isn't wrong and irreparable damage is sometimes exacerbated by family members who are not only unsupportive but also believe that the assault was justified."
Lending an overview of the horrific situation she states, "In most cases of corrective rape, the perpetrators are family members because of which the victims refrain from seeking legal recourse. Victims find it traumatizing to speak of their brothers/ cousins turning rapists and prefer to delete the incident from their memories and cut off ties with their families. This explains why such cases almost never get reported. Incidentally, corrective rapes happen more with sexual minority women than men. Infact younger lesbians are the most vulnerable since they are still financially reliant on their families. Many lesbians living in one-room dwellings in informal settlements are also prone to corrective rapes. Needless to say corrective rapes attribute to the maximum number of suicides."
Corrective rapes are often perpetrated and organised by parents and this continues to be the most heinously shocking reality of human civilization. "Imagine your parents getting you raped to bring you on to the right path! Well that is a reality that several homosexuals in India are facing. The crime is all contained in the family- the parents are in the know, the rapist is usually a relative that is handpicked by them and it is like a 'disciplining project' designed to 'cure' and 'correct' the homosexual," says Nair
Lipika Gogoi (name changed on request) agrees with Nair's statements and adds, "It's usually a cousin who's roped in for this 'project'. I have studied in Chennai and am privy to the unfortunate and hapless realities of some sexual minority women hailing from the South. In some communities in South India, marriages amongst cousins are common. Many times, a girl's parents may decide that she would be married off to a cousin soon after her birth. Now, if this girl happens to be queer and if it is found out that she is in a relationship with another girl, hell breaks out. The elders in the family believe that having sex with the 'would-be', even if it's forcibly, will cure her. Many a time this primitive and regressive thought is actually executed."
So how can corrective rapes be prevented or thwarted? "It might be too late to wait for legal intervention by way of the police and judiciary. Overall the right thinking ones among the younger generation (and fortunately today the numbers are growing owing to LGBTQ sensitization campaigns etc) need to be vigilant of such occurrences in their immediate circle and vicinity," says Nair. She advices our readers, "If you get to know about an impending sexual assault/corrective rape on a friend or close colleague (irrespective of whether the person has disclosed her/his real gender identity/or come out with you) do not hesitate to intervene. There are numerous ways through which you can atleast assist the person who is facing the threat/danger of some sexual assault to be far away (and unreachable) from the suspected perpetrator. Consequently, inform an NGO or any other social welfare concern that works for women or sexual minority communities about the situation."
Many a time sexual minority women are permanently coerced into a situation of corrective rape (lifelong) through a heterosexual marriage. "Therefore if you come across a friend or colleague who is clearly distraught or even suicidal at the prospect of a seemingly appropriate matrimonial alliance you need to have your antenna up and delve a little deeper. Your intervention can help to save a life," says Gogoi.
While not all of us may be actively supporting the LGBTQ community and their rights (many of us might have some apprehensions or be neutral too) the truth must dawn on everyone of us that corrective rapes are clearly a subhuman act. These rapes can never be tolerated in any civilized society and the perpetrators of these heinous rapes must be adequately punished. We all need to come together and fight against this colossal crime and injustice.
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