REAL MEN DON’T RAPE ; AN ARTIST’S STANCE.

Rape! Why do most of us hang our head in disgust while hearing this term? Most of us! There are some who carry out this heinous act and well, in Bhutan, some face the consequences because they are caught. 

Some go unpunished because they are not caught. It was some days ago when I was skimming through my feeds on facebook, a piece of news caught my attention. It stated that an eight year old boy was raped in Tsirang and the offender was caught in Gelephu. 

P.C: Amit Saki

Hello every one, let me introduce myself. I am Vyas Chettri. I work in a consultancy firm! I compose, sing and rap too. In short, I am an artist. I am also the content writer of the blog “Amix Hiphop Bhutan”.

  However, more importantly-I’m a grandson, a son, a brother, a husband, a father and this is my stance on rape in Bhutan! Without much delay, let me take you all to my mind palace. I  have come up with certain causes and impacts of rape in Bhutan. These are just what we deem to be true. In other words, these are just opinionated theories. Hereby I present to y’all, my friends, an article on, “Real men don’t rape: An artist’s stance!”

There could be several causes of rapes. Five potential causes of rape and the possible solutions to the respective causes are given below document.

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1.      LACK OF STRONG LAWS

 

 “I’m sure that all of you would agree with my forthcoming statement.” Rape laws in Bhutan is not very strong. The penal code of Bhutan, chapter 14, states that rape is considered as a fourth degree felony. However, the rape cases involving minors (below 12 years old) being on the victim’s end, is considered as a statutory case.

 The baffling part is that this act of crime (rape of a minor) “shall be a felony of second degree.”  These laws have ultimately led to the public’s loss of faith in existing laws of rape. In turn, the situation can possibly instill fearlessness and a darkened aura of recklessness, on the rapists’ mentality.

 

 If or when these laws are strengthened, it would ultimately mean a huge victory for our Bhutanese society. Women and children-both male and female, would be safe from the clutches of evil criminals.

More people who could potentially turn into rapists would curb their own social deviant ways and resort to a normal life. This can be achieved with the consolidation of rape laws and thus reforms consisting of capital punishment, such as life imprisonment and death penalty. 

 

2.      MENTAL/PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEM OF THE VICTIM

 We can assume that rapists suffer from an imbalanced mentality, thereby not having control over their misdeeds. However, in some cases, there could be a possibility of drug abuse and alcohol intoxication that could have led them to perform this action.

 People who aren’t quite normal shouldn’t be shooed away. Their mental  issues shouldn’t serve as a basis for ‘other’ people co-habiting in the society, to make mockery of the former mentioned category of people. There have been occurrences of rape cases around other parts of the world where the motive for rape has been personal vendetta.

 Addiction is undoubtedly a mental illness. Drugs and alcohol when abused can lead to senselessness where the abusers may take steps which they probably wouldn’t have, if they had been sober. 

Therefore, a sanatorium for the people with intense psychological problems and violent tendencies is a must. Moreover, the quality of rehabilitation centers in Bhutan should be upgraded so that the addicts and alcoholics can re- integrate themselves into the society after their rehabilitation term.

3.      LOW AWARENESS

 RRape cases in Bhutan could have existed since a long time. Many of these could have gone unreported and therefore, unnoticed. Sex Education in Bhutan had been a distant ideology. 

People are getting familiar with it now. There isn’t much public discourse on rape and its ill-effects in our Bhutanese society. The reported rape cases do not occur in a continuous fashion. However, the point is that it still occurs.

Our Bhutanese society has basked in the rays of traditional mindset, has glorified the importance of outdated norms and refused to welcome open-mindedness. It is time to change that.

 The dissemination of safety precautions, awareness and certain prescriptions should be initiated from the social institution of family.

Children should be equipped with good values and models of behavior which can make them independent and confident in one’s ability to tackle hazardous situations.

 

4.      INFLUENCE FROM TELEVISION/INTERNET

Television/movies sometimes broadcast X-rated scenes which also include rapes and forced sex. The internet also consists of many porn sites where people get easy access to it.

 The rape offenders might get influenced by these lustrous depictions and consciously or subconsciously could take that ultimate action while presented with an opportunity or by creating an opportunity on their own.

If a person has sexual urges to assault another person, it’s advised to take help from a counseler and even meditate on a daily basis. 

Porn addiction is still an addiction. It can harm the individual but also strain his relationship with his family and society at large. Porn sites should be restricted if not blocked completely.

 

5.      PATRIARCHY

 The most important cause is the presence of patriarchy in Bhutan. Men are considered as the more dominant force in Bhutanese society. Patriarchy imposes restrictions on women and grants freedom to men. 

Certain cultural traits such as ‘night-hunting culture’ might sound absurdly cool. Dwell deep into this practice and you would probably look into this practice from a different lens and have a completely different opinion.

When law reforms concerning rape are ultimately made!  When capital punishment is finally a reality and not a dream no more! When women and children are finally safe and when we finally learn to be responsible for our own actions!

We should sit back and all agree that patriarchy needs to be flushed off our society and equality should persist!

To sum up, let us all vouch for a rape –free Bhutan by practicing awareness, mindfulness and above all, compassion. Let us love each other, help each other and support each other. Given below are two worthy compositions on rape by two renowned rappers from Phuntsholing-SKIN HEAD and Alien! Do listen and well, from my side, this is Vyas Chettri reporting from Amix Hiphop Bhutan- kadrinchey!

                                                     RAPE MABAY BY SKIN HEAD.

RAPE AND SUICIDE BY PEMA YANCHEN AND NORZIN

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