The Mental Agony of a Rape Victim - Book Report/Review Example

It is openly talked about and quite frankly talked about amongst friends. But even in such developed societies, rape victims do not come easily forward to tell the truth. Part of the reason for this reservation is the apprehension that instead of the rapists being punished, the victim is haunted by the media and the society. Events that unfold thereafter present a picture as if, the victim has committed the biggest mistake by being a women Well there are exceptions like Mukhtaran Bibi, a 26 yrs old rape victim turned human-rights campaigner from Pakistan, who was raped by a group of people in Pakistan in 2002.

She was subjected to the rape as an "honor crime" to punish her for some crime committed by her 12 year old brother. Mukhtaran Bibi not only came out of her shell, but boldly took on her tormentors in a conservative society like Pakistan. Even today the Pakistani establishment doesn't allow her free movement, even within Pakistan. When on the calls of international human rights activists, she was invited to narrate her storey in US; her passport was seized by the Pakistani government. Though, she is not alone her battle, still she is undergoing through lot of mental pressure while taking on the society at large.

But in general women do not prefer to come out with the truth. Why do raped women prefer solitude, ignominy and even death instead of telling the truth in public There could be a number of reasons for this. For example;i. What the society will say The thought of never being accepted again in the society as a normal human being doesn't allow the rape victim to come out with the truth. The victim has to go back to the same society, amidst the same set of people, friends and relatives. But somehow she finds her near and dear one's behaving with her in a strange manner, which she is not used to, and feels quite out of place in such an environment.

Such a thought prevents her from coming out with the truth.ii. Each time she'll confront the rapist, he or they'll keep staring at her, smiling at her, commenting on her, which in turn results in further tormenting her.iii. The legal process is very lengthy; the case keeps dragging for many-many years in a number of courts. Unlike other criminal cases, in such cases each time when the sketchy details of the rape and the victim are narrated, it becomes very much humiliating for the victim, which doesn't allow healing of the wounds.iv. The composition of society is of male dominance.

Though woman is placed at a very high pedestal in the society as she gives birth to life and helps in retaining the life cycle. Social reformers and thinkers have been trying hard to change the thinking of the society, but still a lot needs to be done. The fairer sex is yet to get the kind of respect which it ought to.v. If someone injured in an accident, an outpouring of sympathies allow him/ her in the healing process, but a women who's tortured by a rapist is treated like an eyesore, as if it is the lady who's responsible for all her problems.vi. If the lady is unmarried, nobody comes forward easily to accept her as a life partner.

Such a decision requires another bold personality who is ready to fight the system head-on, from the word 'go'. vii. The media starts feeding on her story. Today there are a number of newspapers and media channels, who are always on the lookout for scoops and newsbreaks. Though an effort is