Abstract

Rape is not merely a physical assault it is often destructive of the whole personality of the victim. A rapist not only violates the victim’s privacy and personal integrity but inevitably causes serious psychological as well as physical harm in the process. A murderer destroys the physical body of the victim; a rapist degrades the very soul of the helpless female. Rape is not only a crime against the person of a woman. It is crime against the entire society. Rape destroys the entire psychology of a woman and pushes her into deep emotional crises. The victim is looked down on in derision and contempt. The statistical studies reveal the streak reality of the women in Indian society. Women are assigned an inferior status made to live in ultra misery, subjugation and subservience. The existential -crises clubbed with cultural factors like immersing women in obscurantist and superstitious beliefs, rotten and worn-out traditions and religious practices are the main reasons responsible for the plague of rape in India. Respect for womanhood in our country is on the decline and cases of molestation and rape are steadily growing. Decency and morality in public and social life can be protected only if courts deal strictly with those who violate the social norms.

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