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WOW2 - April 2023: Women Trailblazers and Activists, 4-9 thru 4-16 [1]

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Date: 2023-04-08  

April 14, 2021 – The UN’s annual report, The State of World Population, said that 20 countries still allow rapists to marry their victims to escape criminal charges. Russia, Thailand and Venezuela are among the countries that allow men to have rape convictions overturned if they marry the women or girls they assaulted. Dr Natalia Kanem, executive director of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), which publishes the report, said such laws were “deeply wrong” and were “a way of subjugating women … The denial of rights cannot be shielded in law. ‘Marry your rapist’ laws shift the burden of guilt on to the victim and try to sanitise a situation which is criminal.” Dima Dabbous , director of Equality Now’s Middle East and Africa region, whose research is cited in the UNFPA report, said the laws reflected a culture “that does not think women should have bodily autonomy and that they are the property of the family. It’s a tribal and antiquated approach to sexuality and honour mixed together.” In 2013, Morocco repealed it law after widespread outrage when a young woman killed herself after she was forced to marry her rapist. Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Tunisia followed suit. Kuwait still allows a perpetrator to legally marry his victim with the permission of her guardian. In Thailand, marriage can be considered a settlement for rape if the perpetrator is over 18 and the victim is over 15, if she “consented” to the offence and if the court grants permission for marriage. Marriage laws and practices that subordinate women are widespread and difficult to root out, said the UNFPA, which reported that 43 countries have no legislation criminalising marital rape. Bodily autonomy – the ability to make choices about your body free from violence or coercion – was highlighted: 45% of women, in 57 countries, are denied the right to say yes or no to sex with their partner, use contraception, or seek healthcare.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/8/2162722/-WOW2-April-2023-Women-Trailblazers-and-Activists-4-9-thru-4-16

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