I am reluctant to use the term “rape culture” because the first term diminishes the shame that the second signifies, however, expanded by feminism to make visible the supremacy of sexual violence against women, I bring it to this column, considering the need for social phenomena to have their own name. Also, I can’t argue with the writer Joyce Carol Oates that she titled one of her novels with that noun.
An 11-year-old girl, 28 weeks pregnant, arrived at a hospital in Quito in the process of having an abortion
Rape (2004) in Spanish will not be released until 2022 and before MeetToo it describes in detail a group attack on a woman who, on the night of the 4th of July, an American holiday, made a “mistake” crossing the park with her 12-year-old daughter, and six young men, drunk and drugged , mercilessly rapes her. Something special, they are all neighborhood boys who know them and have watched their actions from afar as a beautiful and flirtatious widow. From there, the novel begins to elaborate opinions (why did he go out at night? Why did he dress lightly? How could he take his daughter out so late?) that blame the victim. This kind of procedure is common in societies of enthroned machismo, in which men seem so susceptible to attraction and uncontrollably lash out at women’s bodies that “provoke” them, a criterion used by mothers and sisters of aggressors.
The Office of the Ombudsman plans to complete the investigation of sexual violence against children at the institutional level in Ecuador in six months
Oates excels at portraying the breakdown of the victim after the painful recovery in the hospital, the town gossip and the legal hearing he must attend to testify against the suspects. The second pillar of the novel is a critique of his country’s justice system, where a skilled lawyer can turn the wheel of blame from criminals to untraceable assailants. When it seems that there will be no more trials because the victim does not have the strength to survive it, the third character will carry out actions that will reopen the cultural and violent legacy of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
It is impossible to read this novel without feeling familiar. The education of girls and young people today requires combining parts of autonomy, rights and care, as if it is possible to be free to see where to walk, how to behave in classrooms and offices, how to have fun, without being the meat of all kinds of attacks. The chain of actions naturalized by sexual behavior is very long and full of imprecise margins. Sometimes compliments disguised slander, promotions were offered without regard to authentic merit, and conquerors claimed that “no” meant “yes.”
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I listed almost sophisticated facts. Brutal rape is more direct and rougher: it is carried out by grandfather, uncle, cousin, stepfather, in the corners of the home and at an ever younger age, at the cost of threats and sowing panic among girls who are aware of the horror only when they discover their pregnancy. The calvary of silence about something that cannot be hidden explodes in front of the surprised mothers. It requires the intervention of the law. But this process also subjects victims to the embarrassment of medical examinations and complaints. This rage hijacks childhood and puberty, turning the female body into its own enemy. Our society must fight against rape. (OR)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
