14 Dec Marital Rape Laws
Marriage as an institution doesn’t necessarily guarantee protection from being raped by your spouse. The mere act of being betrothed to someone doesn’t confer the right to a person to abuse his/her partner sexually. Although several legislations have been passed in the country to penalize offenders with the same severity as non-marital offenders, the reality is still appalling. There were some very ridiculous laws which hardly gave any effect to the cause. In the state of Tennessee, law stated that a person could be deemed guilty of the rape of a spouse at a time they are living together only if that person either “was armed with a weapon or any article used or fashioned in a manner to lead the alleged victim to reasonably believe it to be a weapon” or “caused serious bodily injury to the alleged victim”. Practically, most cases of marital rape could not be prosecuted, since few rapes naturally involve such extreme circumstances. The law was finally repealed in 2005, allowing for marital rape to be classified as any other type of rape. It took an unbelievable ten attempts to pass the bill to repeal this age-old law.
The issue is broader than just bills & laws. The emotional hurt caused by such an incident in a very trusted environment can lead to a devastating trauma. Many women do not bring it up if it has happened just once in the course of a long marriage. However, what needs to be realized is its wrong & even one time is one time too many. The Dark Age is long gone but not quite if women aren`t even safe at home. As quoted by the American author, “You save yourself, or you remain unsaved.” This remark can`t be accepted in the 21st century.
The question which lies in front of us is whether a crime of the same nature is punishable in the same manner or not.
What are your thoughts? Should the perpetrator of a marital rape be punished as severely as one who commits non-marital rape?
Your voice matters! Your opinion counts
Offthegrid003@outlook.com
Posted at 22:11h, 04 FebruaryIt is absolutely riduculous that any government, would allow any type of physical abuse to be allowed, based on a contract that takes 3 days to enter into and up to 5 years to get out of. My particular case, there were pictures, apology letters, statements of witness. two minor children partially present, and i was drugged. It took over 9hours of systemmatic sexual violation starting in a parking lot of a local bar, where we were with friends, to different parking lots, and finally my front lawn, where the spouse, went into our home, retrieved inatomate objects, while my preteen children watched through the window, 6ft away. and the Babysitter was in the house, cleaned me up and photographed the extreme bruising the next morning, when i had no idea what happened to me. My ex-spouse, turned himself in, and still nothing was done. He refused to leave the marital home for 5months, while i moved myself and mychildren to another floor of the house, eventually seeking refuge with a friend and 4 kids, ranging from 12,10,4, and extremely premature newborn. A separation agreement was drawn up, based on the rape and he signed it of his own free will, he was then arrested approximately 9 months later, for stalking, which of course got dropped bc the green states attorney didnt know the right questions to ask, even though there over 30 messages daily, him breaking into my house, going through my garbage and in 2007 i was put under victims advocacy, in Ptown. protective orders, restraining orders, were ordered by the courts, My divorce was finalized in 4/2009, and 5mths later he was given a handwritten protecting my family and myself from him for 2 years. The circuit court judge, had the statements and pictures and the stalking charges, and GAL recommendations and yet still all that evidence was wrapped up in a circuit court divorce, giving him a free pass for him to grossly abuse the order of protection, where his loss of any communication with his son, was completely cut off in 2008 and reinforced by the handwritten court order handed to him in court. All of this because of a piece of paper stating that we were legally bound? well obviously, the commonwealth takes far less value in the life of a woman, than of a man!!!!!!!!!!!