SEXUAL ABUSE

Abuse
• Abuse is defined as any action that
intentionally harms or injures another person.
In short, someone who purposefully harms
another in any way is committing abuse.
Nine Types of Violence and Abuse
 Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to
obtain a sexual act by violence acts to traffic a
person or acts directed against a
person's sexuality, regardless of the
relationship to the victim.
 Cont..
The United Nations defines violence against
women as "any act of gender-based violence
that results in, or is likely to result in, physical,
sexual, or mental harm or suffering to women,
including threats of such acts or arbitrary
deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in
public or in private life.
 Cont..
A 2018 analysis of prevalence data from 2000-
2018 across 161 countries and areas,
conducted by WHO on behalf of the UN
Interagency working group on violence against
women, found that worldwide, nearly 1 in 3,
or 30%, of women have been subjected to
physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate
partner or non-partner sexual violence or both
 Cont..
• Sexual violence is a serious public health
problem and has a profound short or long-term
impact on physical and mental health, such as an
increased risk of sexual , reproductive health
problems, and also increased risk of suicide
or HIV infection.
• Murder occurring either during a sexual assaultor
as a result of an honor killing in response to a
sexual assault is also a factor of sexual violence.
 Sexual Abuse Incidence In India
• Hathras had earlier shot to national
infamy after a 20-year-old Dalit woman was
allegedly gang-raped by four upper caste men
and the police's handling of the case, resulting
in public outcry on the streets last year.
 Cont..
• In the Hathras case, the victim was left with
her tongue bitten off and her spinal cord and
neck severely injured.
• The incident took place on September 14,
2020, when a 19-year-old woman was
allegedly gang-raped and brutally assaulted by
four upper caste men while her family
members were busy working on the fields.
 Cont..
• The family claimed that four to five people
attacked her from behind, gagged her with her
dupatta and dragged to a bajra field where they
gang-raped her.
 Cont..
• According to the NCRB's
"Crime in India" 2019
report, Uttar Pradesh
reported the highest number
of crimes against women
(59,853), accounting for 14.7
per cent of such cases across
the country.
 Cont..
• UP also had the highest number of crimes
against girl children under the POCSO Act and
ranked second in terms of rapes committed.
 POCSO Act
•The POCSO Act was enacted in 2012 and is
gender neutral.
•It recognises that boys can be victims of sexual
violence as well. It defines a child as someone
under the age of 18. The Indian Penal Code does
not recognise that sexual assault can be
committed on boys.
 Rape survivor set on fire by accused in Unnao, U.P

• Another case that had resulted in nationwide

outrage was reported from Unnao, where a rape
survivor was allegedly set her on fire, beaten
and stabbed while she was on her way to court
by five men, including two of the accused.
• The woman — who was raped in 2018 —
received 90 per cent burn injuries and later died
at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.
 Cont..
• Globally as many as 38% of all murders of
women are committed by intimate partners.
• In addition to intimate partner violence,
globally 6% of women report having been
sexually assaulted by someone other than a
partner, although data for non-partner sexual
violence are more limited .
 Sexual Abuse in Lockdown
• Lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic
and its social and economic impacts have
increased the exposure of women to abusive
partners and known risk factors, while limiting
their access to services.
 Cont..
• Situations of humanitarian
crises and displacement may
exacerbate existing violence,
such as by intimate partners,
as well as non-partner sexual
violence, and may also lead to
new forms of violence against
women.
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/
detail/violence-against-women
 Cont..
• In Karnataka, 11 per
cent of women aged 18-
29 said that they had
experienced sexual
violence by the age of 18
- the highest in the
country.
 Cont..
• The eastern state of West
Bengal reported the second-
highest number of cases at 9.7
per cent.

https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2021/feb/04/
india-no-country-for-women-heres-what-the-national-
family-health-survey-reveals-2259593.html
 Cont..
• Intimate partner violence is by far the most
prevalent form of violence against women
globally (affecting around 641 million).
However, 6% of women globally report being
sexually assaulted by someone other than their
husband or partner

https://www.who.int/news/item/09-03-2021-devastatingly-pervasive-1-in-3-
women-globally-experience-violence
 Rape case Incidence
• On 27th march 2021, A horrible incident of
rape of a women patient has been reported
from Shalby hospital in Jaipur , Rajasthan.
 Cont..
• The accused ward boy repeatedly molested the
women patient admitted to ICU.
• The victim had a mask and her hands were
tied.
 Cont..
• On 31st march 2021, 17 years old girl was
raped and then murdered by unknown person
in Hoshiarpur, Punjab.
 #MeToo Movement
• A few years ago, the
#MeToo movement took the
world by storm.
• The movement was
instrumental in breaking the
time old taboo of victimhood
and motivating women
around the world to raise
voice against unwanted
sexual advances.
 WAKE-UP CALL
• #MeToo has brought in sudden surge in
awareness about sexual harassment at workplace.
• It provided a platform for victims to speak out
openly about their ordeals, which in turn helped
in increasing awareness about sexual harassment,
particularly at workplace.
• Enterprises are gearing up for a comprehensive
sexual harassment awareness and education
programme on their respective compuses.
S.No Nature Jan Feb Mar Ap May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
. r

1 Acid Attack 1 2 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 3 1 11

2 Bigamy / Polygamy 10 7 6 6 18 14 23 8 10 11 10 18 141

3 Cyber Crime against 32 21 37 55 73 103 110 68 59 48 42 56 704

women

4 Denial of Maternity 9 10 13 2 6 13 5 9 9 6 8 6 96
Benefits to women

5 Dowry death 32 17 18 9 27 27 49 32 29 26 37 27 330

6 Free legal aid for women 5 7 4 0 6 4 5 3 6 5 4 7 56

7 Gender Discrimination 1 0 0 1 1 0 5 0 1 0 2 0 11
including equal right to
education & work

8 Harassment of married 267 221 203 62 159 273 493 352 372 429 509 448 3788
women/Dowry
harassment
S.No. Nature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

9 Indecent 2 1 1 1 8 3 1 3 4 2 3 0 29
Representation of
Women

10 Outraging modesty 112 103 103 29 140 203 330 173 131 112 124 119 1679
of
women/Molestation

11 Police Apathy against 81 89 83 24 85 118 146 118 131 136 133 132 1276
women

12 Protection of 271 302 298 315 393 461 660 539 492 495 485 586 5297
Women against
Domestic Violence

13 Rape/Attempt to 142 112 90 12 54 82 149 108 88 111 151 137 1236

Rape
S.No. Nature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

14 Right to exercise 41 28 34 6 26 45 60 24 30 52 48 66 460

choice in
marriage/Honour
Crimes

15 Right to live with 374 436 388 239 474 611 778 613 889 873 1210 830 7715
dignity

16 Sex selective 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 2 8
abortion / female
foeticide /
amniocentesis

17 Sexual Assault 12 10 19 4 1 8 14 9 5 4 11 13 110

18 Sexual 22 20 19 11 8 42 50 32 29 33 56 54 376
Harassment

19 Sexual 21 18 19 8 5 13 16 27 19 14 23 18 201
Harassment of
Women at
workplace
S.N Nature Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
o.
20 Stalking / 18 16 9 15 12 19 13 7 11 9 10 5 144
Voyeurism

21 Traditional 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 4
practices
derogatory to
women rights
i.e. sati pratha,
devdasi pratha,
witch hunting

22 Trafficking / 6 4 3 1 2 1 4 2 2 4 8 3 40
Prostitution of
women

23 Women's right 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 10
of custody of
children in the
event of divorce

24 Total 1462 1424 1347 800 1500 2043 2914 2128 2318 2373 2884 2529 23722
 Cont ..
• Whenever we talk about sexual assault, the only
thought that comes to our mind is that it only
happens to a woman.
• But in today’s era, we should not forget the fact
that sexual assault can happen to other genders
too.
 Cont..
• When we compare the amount of information
available on the internet, we will find that
most of the information on this topic is related
to SEXUAL ASSAULT OF WOMEN.
 Cont..
• This is because it is difficult to
gather information on the
experiences of men who have
faced sexual assault at some
point in their lives.
• Because the world has still not
accepted that something like
this can happen to men too
 Cont..
• A recent study addresses that sexual assault of men
and boys and the lack of awareness regarding the
same.
• The data collected is a questionnaire answered by
115 people of different age groups and from various
professions.
• Most of them believe that men and boys can in fact
be sexually assaulted and that women can also be the
perpetrators of sexual crimes while there were a few
people with a belief that men cannot be sexually
assaulted and women cannot sexually assault anyone.
 Cont..
• If we search ‘Rape in India’ on Wikipedia, the
first line itself talks only about the rape of
women.
• It says, “Rape is the fourth most common
crime against women in India.”
• It is important to address the issue such as
rape, but we also need to know that rape and
sexual assault is a gender-neutral crime and
happens to men too.
 Cont..
The Judgment by the Supreme Court
that decriminalized the consensual
sexual relations between adults of the
same gender, which was a crime under
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code,
is still looked down upon by many
people in India who still consider
homosexuality a taboo and a disease
which means that the homosexuals still
have a long road to travel in order to
be empowered and given their rights.
 Cont..
• This is one of the worst things we can do to a
man, that is, not let him be himself because he
has gender roles to fulfill.
• “Our patriarchal society holds males to be the
stronger sex and expects men to be able to
protect themselves.
• Many men who have survived child sexual abuse
have been subjected to comments such as-
“Why didn’t you beat him up? You are a man!”
 Cont..
According to the Crime survey for England
and Wales (CSEW), “in the year 2017, till the
month of March, there were 20% women and
4% men who experienced sexual assault since
the age of 16, equivalent to 3.4 million female
and 631,000 male victims.”

[The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), About Sexual Violence, Rape Crisis England and Wales]
 Cont..
• According to the Indian rape laws, rape can
only be done by a man and never a woman.
• In understanding what constitutes rape,
international law has evolved from viewing it
just as penile-vaginal to penile-orifice and then
to penetrative-orifice, all within a non-
consensual context.
Incidence Of sexual Violence among Male

In Tamil Nadu ,a 32 years

old female teacher was
arrested and remanded to a
women police officer for
sexually assaulting her
male students for the period
of three years.
 Cont..
• An article published in the Times of India says that
“The woman, who used to lure the boys promising
to buy them gadgets such as mobile phones, had
sexually assaulted them on many occasions in the
school and at home during tuition.
• She had even taken them to secluded spots and
allegedly captured pictures and videos of their
intimate moments.”
[https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.timesofindia.com/city/chennai/tamil-nadu-teacher-held-for-sexually
assaulting-her-male-students/amp articleshow/68530874.cms]
 Cont..
Another article published on The Indian
Express says that “the Pune City Police has
booked a physical education teacher for
allegedly sexually assaulting a male student of
Class 9th.

[https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/pune/pune-teacher-booked-for-sexually-assaulting-class-ix-
male-student-probe-on-6132803/lite/]
 Cont..
A social activist who helped the victim and his
parents said “After the school got over at
12:20 pm, the teacher allegedly took the boy to
the school toilet and sexually assaulted him.
After returning home, he complained to his
father.”
 Cont..
Sexual assault of boys, even though not as
often as of girls, is still reported and tried but
sexual assault and rape of men is not reported
in India because there are no laws for that as
of now.
 Cont..
Before the Homosexuality judgment that
removed some part of Section 377 of the
Indian Penal Code, 1860, there was one law
which prohibited sexual intercourse between
same sex which could be tried in the Court for
Sodomy but now, after the judgment, same sex
intercourse is not illegal which leaves no scope
for the male rape cases to be reported.
 Rape Laws in India

Rape, under Section 375 of the Indian

Penal Code, 1860, is defined as,
“Rape: A man is said to commit
“rape” if he:
(a) Penetrates his penis, to any extent, into
the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of a
woman or makes her to do so with him
or any other person.
(b) Inserts, to any extent, any object or a
part of the body, not being the penis,
into the vagina, the urethra or anus of
a woman or makes her to do so with
him or any other person.
 Cont..
(c) Manipulates any part of the body of a woman
so as to cause penetration into the vagina,
urethra, anus or any part of body of such
woman or makes her to do so with him or any
other person.
(d) Applies his mouth to the vagina, anus,
urethra of a woman or makes her to do so with
him or any other person.
 Cont..
• According to the Indian legal system, rape can only be
done by a man, against a woman and not the other way
round.
• However, earlier, Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code,
1860 talked about unnatural sex which included Sodomy.
• The section states, “Unnatural offences: Whoever
voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of
nature with any man, woman or animal shall be punished
with [imprisonment for life], or with imprisonment of
either description for a term which may extend to ten
years, and shall also be liable to fine.
 How Men Cope

• Men are more likely to become

more aggressive and respond
towards such incidents through
anger than women.
• This not only affects them but
also their whole family and
people close to them because
this anger is sometimes taken
out on them.
 Cont..
• Male victims of rape and sexual assault are
also more prone to become addicts and
alcoholics. They may start feeling that they are
not man enough or there could be fear of
homosexuality.
 Cont..
The data for sexual harassment of men in India
is almost non-existent as most of such cases go
unreported the corresponding data from US
equal employment opportunity commission
shows that about 16.5% complaints of sexual
harassment the commission receives annually,
are from men.
 Statistical Data

Description/FY 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Complaints Received 6,822 6,758 6,696 7,609 7,514

Percentage of Charges
17.10% 16.60% 16.50% 15.90% 16.80%
Filed By Males
 Cont..
In Australia, 1 in 16 men has been subjected to
domestic violence since the age of 15 in form
of physical or sexual torture from their wives
or intimate partner or from the person they are
cohabiting with.
 Cont..
• According to the 2002 report by the World
Health Organisation, women think of
committing suicides more often than men
while men die of suicides more frequently.
• Continuous exposure to violence can cause
many physical and mental diseases such as
depression, suicidal tendencies, and chronic
physical disorders such as cancer, heart
attacks, HIV/AIDS, etc.
 Ways you can stand against rape culture

1. Create a culture of enthusiastic consent.

2. Speak out against the root causes.
3. Redefine masculinity.
4. Stop victim-blaming.
5. Have zero tolerance.
6. Broaden your understanding of rape culture.
7. Take an intersectional approach.
8. Know the history of rape culture.
9. Don’t laugh at rape.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Ed.2nd, Jaypee brothers medical publishers; 2007,
Page no. 245-252.
• Stuart Gail W. Principals & practice of psychiatric
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• Townsend Marry C. Psychiatric mental health
nursing. Ed. 5th, Jaypee brothers medical publishers;
2007, Page no. 778-794.
• D.Elakkuvana. Bhaskara Raj , Debr,s Mental health
Nursing, EMMESS Medical Publishers.2017.p444-
471
 Internet Searches
• https://www.who.int/news/item/09-03-2021-d
evastatingly-pervasive-1-in-3-women-globall
y-experience-violence
• https://www.theigc.org/blog/the-growing-con
cern-around-violence-against-women-in-india
-where-do-we-stand/
• https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-
style/domestic-abuse-pandemic-national-com
mission-for-women-7062579/
• https://www.thequint.com/amp/story/voices/o
pinion/gender-based-violence-crimes-against-