Let's examine the differences between a culture that endures rape and a culture that supports it:
Young Muslim child with her adult husband
Often in the Western world we hear the words "Rape Culture" thrown around quite frequently and there seems to be a major misconception about what this means, let me help those who are ignorant to this reality:
Rape Culture (supporting rape): Rape culture is a culture that supports rape/ists, promotes rape/ists, and uses rape as a political weapon.
Anti-Rape Culture (enduring rape): Anti-Rape Culture is a culture that shames rape/ists, legally condemns rape/ists, and fights for the rights of rape victims, regardless of number of rapes occurring.
Rape culture is not a culture that rape occurs in, it's one that rape thrives in. No, having dramatic cop T.V shows that rape occurs in is not rape culture. Yes, the police breaking into your home and raping you and your children is rape culture. No, it is not a person whistling at you and complimenting your beauty or
body. Yes, it is the husband you were forced to marry at 9 and sexually satisfy him or face threat of acid attacks or death. No, it is not Larry Nassar, who will serve up to 175 years in prison for his crimes. It is the masses of men and women who are not only never charged for sexual violence charges, but are allowed to continue systemic rape under their government.
Woman shows scars after rape, husband attacks her with acid for "cheating."
Nigerien children
Rape culture is often driven by a multitude of factors including religious law, governmental force, lack of education, and extreme poverty. In Niger, the country with the highest child marriage percentage in the world, 3 in 4 girls marry before their 18th birthday. In some areas, the rates are even higher: in the region of Diffa, 89% of girls marry as children. Of those children, an estimated 28 percent of girls are married before age 15, in other words; 28 percent, nearly 1 in every 3 Nigerien girls will be endure child rape before they turn 15.
America's "Rape Culture"
I am very aware about the sexual violence we have worldwide, however to say we as American's go through anything remotely close to what the woman and children in true rape culture endure is refusal to understand or appreciate the severity of their situation, it is blatant disrespect and denial of the privilege we American's have to live in the sexually liberating culture we have. I would never say there aren't victims of sexual violence in America, I have been one myself, but it is time we as survivors with relatively easy access to resources (ie. RAINN) need to learn not only to share empathy (the ability to understand and share the feelings of another) but also have understanding that we as American's do not and hopefully never will go through what the victims and survivors of true rape culture do.
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