What Shenaz Treasurywala and proponents of drones and guns need to know about rape 
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What Shenaz Treasurywala and proponents of drones and guns need to know about rape

Written by : TNM

The News Minute | December 12, 2014 | 11 pm ISTSome days ago, in an open letter to the Prime Minister and business bigwigs, model and actor Shenaz Treasurywala shouts in prose, using capital letters and asking for the leaders of the country to “SAVE” the women of the country.Some days after Treasurywala’s letter appeared, the media published reports about how the Delhi police would use drones for surveillance, for the chivalrous purpose of making the city safer for women. Another report said an Indian company had developed a light-weight gun designed to fit into a woman’s purse, implying it was meant for their safety.The language of Treasurywala’s letter and the tone of the news reports sort of imply that if certain precautions are taken, sexual crimes will not happen. But sexual violence, spanning the spectrum between groping, molestation to more serious forms such as rape, directed against adults (women, sexual minorities or men), are not preventable. (The sexual abuse of children is not being covered here.)There is no vaccine, and nothing therefore, can save someone from sexual violence.The reason sexual violence is so shocking is because while simultaneously (sometimes) blaming the victim for the crime, there is also a collective sense of impurity that is associated with a woman against whom the crime has been committed. (Sexual violence against men and sexual minorities is not acknowledged for various reasons.) The motivations for the crimes may differ from case to case, but the intent of humiliating the victim by inflicting sexual violence against them is a component of the violence. But today there is at least a veneer of sympathy for women or children who may have been molested or raped, but no such concessions are given to persons of sexual minorities.How does one understand sexual violence? Is it an exercise in humiliation and punishment or a gratification of sexual desire, or is sex seen as an entitlement and therefore not considered a crime by the perpetrator? More importantly one needs to look at existing research to understand sexual violence, the situations in which occurs and the perpetrators. National Crime Records Bureau data on rapes (of women by men) show that in over 90 percent of cases the offender is known to the woman, implying some level of a betrayal of trust. If we accept any of these scenarios to hold true, then the entire logic of prevention is upended. Better policing will make public spaces safe overall, but may not specifically impact sexual crimes. So who exactly is going to "SAVE" women and from whom? Members of their families? Friends? Neighbours?