Tharoor pushes to end marital rape exemption in India
Tharoor pushes to end marital rape exemption in India
Shashi Tharoor calls for criminalising marital rape and reforming domestic violence laws, urging consent within marriage to be protected.
Shashi Tharoor said India is one of the few democracies where marital rape is not treated with the seriousness it deserves, despite having stringent anti-rape laws. He spoke at a programme organized by the Prabha Khaitan Foundation in association with the FICCI Ladies Organisation and highlighted that the current exemption for husbands undermines women's rights.
He has introduced a private member's bill in Parliament to amend the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and remove the marital rape exception, arguing that marriage cannot negate a woman's right to grant or deny consent and that 'No Means No' should become 'Only Yes Means Yes'.
Tharoor said the provision rests on an outdated idea of marriage as a sacred sacrament and that domestic rape is a violation of law and violence against women. He noted that marital rape can occur even when couples are separated but not divorced, creating impunity under the current framework.
The reform, he argued, is massively necessary to uphold bodily autonomy and dignity within marriage, and he urged lawmakers to move from talk to action.
Cover image source: Shocked marital rape not treated with the seriousness it deserves: Shashi Tharoor 🔗
