Cartographies of sexual violence from Delhi to Hathras: an intersectional feminist understanding

Abstract

The gang-rape case of Delhi in December 2012, usually referred to as Nirbhaya to the very recent Hathras case of September 2020, led to mass protests and demonstrations. However, reading it through the feminist intersectional lens clearly indicates the difference in public response, political stance, and legal progression. There was a protracted struggle, indeed, but sexual violence in Delhi subsequently led to the change in legal reforms, aligning itself towards rendering justice to the victim, but in the case of Hathras, it’s treading upon blurred pathways of judicial proceedings. This article evaluates the altered textures of protest and the trajectory of feminist intervention when it intersects with the spectrum of caste, class, space, and gender. Therefore, even beyond the social and economic position, the location plays a crucial role in deciphering the discourse of rape or sexual violence. Through the intersectional reading of these two case studies, this article evaluates the discourse of sexual violence in both urban and rural India and the politics of justice meted out to them.