Rape Epidemic: Causes, Facilitators, Types, Epidemiology and Prevention of This Modern Disease

 Although we are Homo sapiens as a species, we are not homogeneous. It is often said ‘Man is what he thinks’. While it is these thoughts that make men feel like raping--like the making of other thoughts--there are many factors that influences their actions.

 

At the basic level, rape satisfies two of the basic instincts or urges in men:

1. Sexual urge

2. Dominating urge 

1. Sexual urge or Testosterone urge: Although our urges aren't homogeneous, being perennial unlike most seasonally sexual animals, and prettier than our nearest primates, we are dangerously sexual. In fact, as if it were a wake up call, as aired by our waking up with testosterone surge induced rigid genital (day begins with it), our desperate excitation can make us even seek toys, men and animals for a release. The formed self-harm, gay sex and bestiality can land even a straight man in hospital, jail in some states and jail in all states, respectively.

2. The fittest urge: While surviving till today itself makes us the 'fittest' as per the 'Survival of the fittest', excluding defence, the cruel methodology used to achieve that has been aggression. Disliking competition but loving victory, this has even seen us wiping out our competing species: the Neanderthals. In its mildest form, however, it also aids in the progress of civilization.

The merging of these two instincts has not been good for mankind. While its milder form produces patriarchy, unless restrained by the factors given below, its cruder form produces sexual harassment to rape.

          RESTRAINERS: THE FEAR FACTORS:

After the 'abolition' of 'might is right, by the advent of civilization, the formed fears of God, society, family and the law enhanced fear, and disciplined men's aggressive and sexual urges. This offered security, and safeguarded women and families. It wasn't smooth, however. Although aggression descended to patriarchy, with the latter asserting 'Man should not hit women' and 'Rape is the ultimate pain', revenge landed in rape. And when not punishing, while his urge and her feminine anatomy, social paucity and her being forbidden increasingly caused sexual tension in him, her yes even got him social recognition: a Casanova.

Women have played a positive role too. Although man is easily aroused, thankfully, saving us from being worse than bonobos - if not, woman's arousals isn't like his. Being happy with chat and socially conditioned to analyse man by a split glance - as familiar or liked person, she disregards man's usual ogle. In turn, this 'not interested in you or sex' impression makes his brain think 'She doesn't like me', which deflates his arousal, makes him content with his fantasy alone and thus saves society. But then, (mis)impression of 'she likes me', 'needs sex', 'is loose' or 'doesn't mind sex' can act as a powerful aphrodisiac, which forces his knob to think instead. Her social smile or help, presence in wrong considered place and time, being with a boyfriend in a conservative society, social invitation or hug and a kiss can easily give that misimpression, which translates into 'It's OK to have sex with her'. This can make him naughty. And when darkness descends or her exposure ascends, or her loneliness comes alight, he veers towards rape. And when social upheavals, lawlessness and battles happen, he even thinks it is normal to rape.

THE MODERN FACILITATORS: If we were to forget those upheavals, along with the facilitation of sex outside marriage, following factors in the modern civilization have facilitated rape:

1. LESSENING OF FEAR:  Amongst the above four entities, one cannot hide acts from God alone. With Darwinism causing rise of atheism and fall of the greatest fear of mankind: omniscient God, and Hell, and glamorised 'Right of Man' crowning individual choice, not community, duty, perspective and therefore lessening fear of family and society, man finds legal fear alone primarily restraining him. With rape needing act time and post act secrecy to evade mundane fear, her believing 'who will believe me' and less reporting, police believing her less and him using his tricks of the trade, even fear of law can at times be less. The tricks could easily include drugging, intoxicating, luring and forcing privacy for the act, and threat of exposure of the act using video, or harm to her/her family for after act secrecy. Fearless man's confidence is veering towards ego, 'catch me if you can'. When fearless merges with group joy, gang rape for fun gets enhanced.

2. SEXUALISATION OF MIND:  We all exist and strive for the pleasure of love and of body. Once the first sexual freedom ended and world got divided into nipple exposing and hiding groups, let alone rape, the formed civilisations tried to limit sex outside marriage (adultery and premarital sex). To achieve this, creating a scale, while Islam satisfied itself with no visual contact between sexes and Indians saw satisfaction in no body contact, West somehow felt safe with opposite gender hug and even a peck in the cheek. Coming from the later, liberal Sexual Revolution has not only allowed sex outside marriage as 'it happens', which almost demanded death earlier, but added concepts, chemicals, visuals and commoditisation of women that has sexualised the world. This has sexualised men--even women--and pleasure of love has given way to pleasure of body. Although women asserted 'Men think of sex every 5 seconds' isn't true, with Sexual Revolution raging like a bull and bringing taboo to the fore, their assertion 'Men think with their knobs' isn't entirely wrong.

Although kids have averted porn pics in Billboards, that mind of man is constantly stimulated by nudity everywhere. While PC porn stimulates him at home, mobile porn dangerously stimulates him outside.  With this change in masculine behavior, symbolically at least, Islam’s ‘When man and woman are alone Satan is present’ has become more true today.

3. EXPOSURE: CHANGE IN CLOTHING: Being used to her paucity and her usual 'no' to attempts, although her scarce 'yes' makes him land on the moon, and Donna Summer's 'I love to love you baby' audio made her a star overnight, men are essentially 'visual'. While a pretty face like that of Helen of Troy can even incite war, even if not so, her presence alone can electrify them and enhance meeting attendance. Unless channeled towards art, a naked female body or a body with less or sexy clothes excites and forces him to restrain. Porn is a feast, and when mixed with cash and the Net, it easily dominates world business and searches in Google. Almost strengthening, 'Think by their knobs' men even enjoy them rejecting lesbian love making--even as two birds!

Forgetting pics, although exposing corset propped boobs, Victorian women's dress made one woman say 'It was unfair on men', today's boob and thigh exposure forces further restraint on them. Although exposure amounts to 'She asked for it' for some and that at ovulation is subconscious, being multi-factorial that excitement alone rarely leads to rape.

4. OPPORTUNITY: With the division of labour that separated man's and woman's world gone now, while through compulsion men, have opportunity to meet women at office, education centres and enroute to those, through choice they can meet in the parks, picnics, parties, shows and ceremonies. While the latter's exciting environment even makes girl's parents worried 'lest she do something wrong', excitement at end year Christmas parties are known for adultery. However, despite the outdoor opportunities, offering much more, most rapes occur at home.

           5. ALCOHOL: Stimulating instincts and confidence, and depressing social and instinctual inhibitions, either's ability to judge and her ability to say no, alcohol can induce rape. This drug that is said to have been banned if invented today has never been so refined, popular and so glamorised in our history. This enticer of both sexual and aggressive urges in man turns men into beasts. Its competition with tea as a refresher isn't good news for women. 

6. MASCULINE INSECURITY: Being used to the prestige brought by division of labour, and reserving intelligence, muscle power, top position at sex and outside home domain, the male gender now helplessly watches lessening of those and the rise of power of beings that were regarded as 'lesser beings' earlier. Irritated thus, yet still retaining muscle and penetration power, and the survival of the fittest instinct, his naughtiness at appropriate time still haunts him. Despite her ascendance, her commoditisation in business, and misuse in sex industry make even boys believe girls are for their pleasure.

7. USE AS A NEW WEAPON: Although prostitutes have traditionally entertained soldiers and tit for tat rape--even gang rapes have occurred during hostilities--rape as a planned weapon to intimidate, maim, disseminate disease and disperse people is new. In Congo, its more dangerous to be a woman than a soldier. Its use against opposition in Iran is claimed.

8. Sexual Revolution Plus: Although not a weapon, with a roam with boyfriend or exposure amounting to 'loose' or 'asking for it', high gender number and excitation gap lessening release unlike in the West, family trust, secrecy and dignity taken as more important than rape and patriarchal irritation being higher, the formed Sexual Revolution Plus in the developing world almost brings epidemic of rape there.

RAPE ITSELF:

Although defined as vaginal penetration without her consent, all rapes are not equal in magnitude. For a start, if in the wrong side of 18, even a sex with her 'yes' can constitute rape. Consent with one, but penetration by more amounts to same. And although, which one initiates or dominates varies, needing erection and force, both desire for sex and for domination are essential. Unless during upheavals (battles, clashes), being illegal, it demands secrecy--during the act and thereafter.

To subdue her, to teach her a lesson or to punish her protests, violence can be used that can result in major injuries. But then, if she is shocked, drugged, drunk or silenced by verbal threats, the act can show fewer or no marks. The included threat to kill her or her dear ones can even offer the needed continued secrecy. While threat to air, the recorded video can entice her to kill herself, fear of 'lest she spills the beans' can entice him to kill her. And when not killed, repeated rape can make her a dehumanised prostitute or a sold off sex slave. With this, suddenly greed for cash gets added to the list of reasons for rape. Unheard of before, suddenly multinational business, enlisting billions, gets birth. When money isn't, but laddish behaviour is at the enticing end, a desire for group fun can translate into gang rape. And when hostility insures, while a desire for revenge makes rape normal, a desire for victory makes rape as weapon of war.

Although her 'no means no' and he is guilty of rape, unlike above in which she is totally innocent, in 'facilitated' - 'date'- 'yes yes no' rape, her ignorance or carelessness about male attitude can't be said to be so. With research saying 'Man's relation with woman can't be platonic' and 'Alcohol brings brightness', Islam saying 'When man and woman are alone, Satan is present', mum saying 'Boys are after sex' and her 'yes' to related things enticing 'She okays me' in him, her going with or inviting him to a lonely room or place, boozing and allowing hugs and kisses amounts to a 'yes yes and a no rape'. Consent with one, but penetration by several, is another problem faced by invited prostitutes and girlfriends.

Irrespective of the two, with home offering privacy, her age vulnerability, and social or familial relation offering trustworthiness, rape, however, mostly occurs at home by trusted people of underage girls.

EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

While Congo is full of 'rape as a weapon' and 1/4 men in a study in South Africa said they had gang raped, India sees epidemic of rape. Amazingly, the centre of women power, the West, doesn't lag behind. Its full of rape, child abuse, sex slavery and what not. The unwanted STDs, pregnancies, 'lifelessness', 'gender hostility' and suicides enhances her sorrow and that of the world. It's so bad that awareness of this almost divides our world into ones who are happy with the Modern World and ones who are not.

SOLUTIONS: Rape can be lessened, but not abolished. Parallel to it being complex and multi-factorial, it needs not single, but a multi-angled approach.

1.  STATE: With capitalists, scientists, liberals, and diehard fans being at it--it using ubiquitous technology--its market totalling trillions and only 25% of parents opting for optional porn as opposed to default, unless by an insurmountable disease, even states can't stop this Sexual Revolution.

Although state making incest legal doesn't lessen her fear of rape from the rise and rise of stepdads and stepbrothers, it enforcing registration of complaint at police stations lessens 'Who will believe me'. Similarly, while fast tract courts lessen delayed justice and lessening 'reliving of rape' at court lessens her distress, making gene testing ubiquitous lessens denied justice. Camera in right places--in transports and lifts--lessens even harassment. Death penalty works only if it is seen to be done like in Shariet. However, with rape ranging from date rape to gruesome ones, 'eye for an eye' not being acceptable, justice system not being infallible and innocent in gallows bringing only bowed heads of ones living, capital punishment may not be right.

Although whether porn enhances or lessens rape is controversial, it certainly excites men and gives them degraded version of women and sex. Although when alone masturbation gives release (and possibly contributes to less rape), when with a girl or when outside (mobile) unreleased desire can be dangerous. Distorted view of sex and women ads incentives. Even if not the usual porn, as an effort, violent and child porn needs banning. Why search engines should have those in their computers to feed paedophiles and others is a mystery. Sex education entices safe sex alone. Demand being of underage girls, legalisation of prostitution can't be effective. Coordinated international assessment, however, can prevent sex slavery.

2. FAMILY: Unless under threat, non-reporting of known child abuse should carry penalty. Even if not so, stopping of repetition--especially by mum--lessens trauma. Leaving kids with trusted uncles may not help when abuse stat is skyrocketing, but parents opting for non-default porn and porn filter can help.

3. WOMEN:  Although, her increasing 'yes' satisfies him and relatively lessens rape in the West, and her continued progress lessens patriarchal irritation in the rest, these are dangerous times when women can help themselves. Although less clothes compels men to restrain, it can air 'She wants it' or 'loose' to some conservatives, and some Mullah's see rape as natural as 'flies on the exposed meat', it doesn't explain epidemic of molestation of well covered Egyptian women. In tradition again, it can also air 'educated and powerful'. But then, as noted by Muslimas, that excitation finding victim in well-dressed vulnerable girls isn't unknown.

With France banning Niquab and the rest banning nipple exposure, the claimed 'I'll dress what I like' may not even be legal. Although legal exposure in safe environment e.g. shootings, women's gatherings, etc. doesn't harm and the claimed  'Men should control themselves' may be effective, not being prudent at other times may only amount to careless men saying 'Thieves shouldn't steal my goods'.

Although her night travel in secure vehicle or with friends is safe, with lone or accompanying boyfriend amounting to 'loose' to the traditional in public transport, avoiding late night travel or introducing him as brother can help when times are bad.

4. DEFENSIVE MEASURES: Being a battle, self-defence can even avert rape. In insurmountable gang rape scenario, however, submission lessens retaliatory injuries. Technologies like GPS guided panic button to nearby police station, spray, penis gripper, etc. can help.   

5. WOMEN'S GROUPS: Answering distress calls and providing help, women's group can answer 'Who will believe me', make her come forward and deter him.

Although, this is about rape of women, with him remaining exposed and her remaining anonymous, false accusation destroying his life, on balance, should also be thought of.