"Rape." When we hear this word, the first thing that comes to mind is a woman or girl. Have we ever considered that a man and a transgender person can be raped? No, because according to our Indian Government, as mentioned in Sec. 375 of the IPC, “sexual intercourse with a woman against her will, without her consent, by coercion, misrepresentation, or fraud, or at a time when she has been intoxicated or duped or is of unsound mental health, and in any case, if she is under 18 years of age," if we analyse the definition, two things can be concluded:
1. A rape offender is necessarily a man.
2. A rape victim is necessarily a woman.
This is the mentality of almost every Indian, but it is not a fact. Even though there are no laws against male and transgender rape, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It is just that we have a fixed mindset about it. The fact that female rapes did not increase suddenly in India but rather gradually, as did male and transgender rapes, means that even if the number is lower now, it will gradually increase in the future, and it will be an issue of concern. Male and transgender rapes are comparatively fewer; if we start taking precautions, we can put an end to this. Nowadays, strict actions are taken against the rapists of women, various organisations are working for that sake, various campaigns are run, awareness programmes are conducted, and many more things and this has resulted in a decline in rape cases in India. But have you ever seen anything like this done for men and transgender people? Are any campaigns, programmes, or organisations even speaking about male and transgender rapes? Don't they belong to our community? Just because the number of their rape cases is comparatively low, should they be neglected? The rape of men is seen as taboo in society, which has a negative connotation among heterosexual men. The rape of males is always seen from the perspective of manliness and masculinity. When we consider transgender people, they are already struggling to gain their place in the community, as some people don't even consider them humans. How tough is their life? We can never even think of it. Through this article, I just want to highlight male and transgender rapes and also hope that laws will be made for male and transgender rapes.
