The psychology behind rape culture and the tools to dismantle it

On 13 March, eight-year-old Asiya was laid to rest in her hometown Magura, after suffering three cardiac arrests as a result of her rape at the hands of her sister's in-laws. 

The incident sparked nationwide protests, but it was not an isolated case; there has been a relentless uptick in violence against women for at least over a month. 

One factor behind the uptick, as established by experts, is the weakened law and order situation. Cases of robbery, mugging and other criminal activities have also seen an alarming rise. 

Women and children, however, have been facing more than just crimes motivated by financial gains; sexual violence and harassment is also specifically being perpetrated against them. 

TBS spoke to psychologists and academics to understand the factors behind this rise in sexual violence and how the society, knowingly or unknowingly, supports those factors. 

The perpetrator's psychology 

"If we are to look at every rape case, or at least most of it, we ought to see that the perpetrator has a history of showing tendencies like projecting 'power' as a man," said Antara Das Antu, psychological counsellor at Psychological Health and Wellness Care (PHWC).

"The perpetrator might also have a history of sexual abuse inflicted against him, and that trauma, which the person has internalised, can be expressed through this act," she further explained.

Dr Soma Dey, associate professor of Gender Studies at Dhaka University, explained the incidence of sexual violence and rape through the gender lens. "It is an actual exercise of oppressive roles by men targeting women's bodies. Women are primarily viewed as merely sexual objects at home."

Many schools of thought try to narrow down the psychology of rapists and perpetrators of sexual violence, according to Dr Helal Uddin, associate professor at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). 

"We cannot say that one [school of thought] is the absolute or that lust, power play, or masculinity exclusively explain it. There's Thanatos, id, ego, superego, Freudian, new-Freudian, capitalist — no one theory can explain it," he said.

The 'promise' of punishment

"We have seen this before and we are seeing this again [in Asiya's case]," said Dr Soma Dey. "The government promises and guarantees the harshest punishment for the perpetrators when a case becomes high-profile and then not much. We don't get to know what actually happens to the perpetrators." 

Dr Soma continued, "We move on, collectively, when harsher punishment is promised. But rape or sexual violence did not stop, did it?"

While Law Adviser Asif Nazrul promised a speedy trial in Asiya's case, the protestors who took to the streets demanded capital punishment — a law already made effective years ago. 

Legal experts cautioned against exclusive speedy trials without improving preventive measures, while others have reasoned that capital punishment is counterintuitive to preventing rape. Then there is the low conviction rate of 3% in rape cases, according to 2019 data. The case for a fair trial and a strengthened legal process which ensures protection for the victim generally gets lost in the discourse. 

"Did capital punishment [or harsher punishment] lower rape in the country?" asked Dr Helal Uddin. "Not that I have observed."

The rationale that "a harsh consequence" will prevent this violation is flawed. It overlooks or ignores the deeply entrenched societal dysfunctions which allow this crime to occur. 

"We ought to look at the studies and see how much did 'punishment' reduce incidence of rape versus sex education. I do not think 'punishment' by itself can prevent rape," said Dr Helal. 

Culture of silence

A common reaction to sexual violence against women is victim-blaming to the point that women feel hesitant to report or file cases of abuse or rape. 

"In many cases, the victim feels hesitant [to report] because let's say the complaint is [in an educational institution] against a professor. The matter quickly becomes a political one [between those who support the professor and those who do not]," said psychologist Ifrat Jahan, Jahangirnagar University. 

"And that takes precedence over the victim's complaint. So much so, that she has to experience more psychological trauma. Many people start saying many things [rumours, character assassination, etc]," she added. 

"We have seen this happen many times over across universities," she said, adding, "We do have a sexual harassment cell. The positive thing is that we see more women coming forward to complain in recent times." 

Since victim blaming is so prevalent, it takes a pattern to emerge for women to feel confident to file reports. 

"For instance, if a faculty member inappropriately touches the student's breasts when distributing copies. This might come to light when the students realise they are many in number and not just one or two isolated cases," Ifrat Jahan explained.  

Studies also say rape is committed by family members or known persons, more so than strangers. At home, young girls and boys are generally also discouraged from voicing their discomfort and trauma; it comes down to, in many cases, "inconvenience," "what will people say," and "you misunderstood what was done to you" among other efforts to sweep sexual violations under the rug. 

"In the cases of sexual abuse perpetrated by family members, the victim generally goes to their mother or grandmother. But they generally tend to hide these abuses. And this, we can say, happens due to a power dynamic," said Antara.

"The women [mother, etc] try to keep quiet because they know they don't have a voice, they see female members as powerless, and to survive in that environment, keeping quiet is the most important," she added.

"I can't say there is scientific study behind this [thinking] but I have seen this among my clients. The mother would think or say, 'I can't protect myself, how can I help you?' Or the mother does it to protect the child as well [from repercussions]. This might also include a component of generational trauma. If the mother has also experienced sexual abuse and was told to hide it, it gets passed on." 

Tools to dismantle rape culture

According to Dr Helal, the lack of sex education, especially in schools, is a glaring problem. 

"Our relationship with sex is never to be talked about; this stigmatisation needs to be changed. It will most certainly take time to overhaul our collective thinking but sex education is critical. By the time an individual reaches university, it is already too late. It needs to start at the schools," Dr Helal said.  

"Talking about sex has been made a taboo," said Antara. 

It will take time but unless general education, starting with sex education in schools, is strengthened, and social and cultural practices are altered to focus on the perpetrators rather than "hiding the scars" of sex abuse from society, not much will change, according to Dr Helal. 

He also said family values and the mass media can work as "remedial efforts" to prevent rape, at least beyond the long-term extensive campaigns that can alter how women are perceived. 

Dr Soma stressed the role of the media. "The representation of men in the media, the use of words for coverage — all this makes an impact. It's not gender-sensitive. I don't understand how a victim's identity is still revealed by many outlets. In many cases, they lean towards victim-blaming and indulge in it," she said.  

Then there are social media and OTT platforms; content creators need to re-examine how they portray men and their relationship to women. 

Dr Soma also reiterated a holistic approach to changing rape culture in the society, including legal systems, cultural practices and education curriculum. "Small projects [in isolation] cannot help. It has to be done on a national level. The most important factor here is political will and that it is sustained to see change take place."