Marital Rape Research Articles

A Successful Sexual Assault Resistance Program Also Reduced Intimate Partner Violence.

Despite several parallels between intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA), programs designed to reduce either of these forms of violence against women rarely evaluate the impact on both IPV and SA. Accordingly, we investigated whether one such program (the Enhanced Assess, Acknowledge, Act (EAAA) Sexual Assault Resistance program), designed to help university-aged women resist SA, could also reduce subsequent IPV. Women university students who were enrolled in the Sexual Assault Resistance Education (SARE) randomized controlled trial examining the impact of the EAAA program on SA, were recruited immediately after completing the last survey in the SARE trial. From this trial, 153 women completed the IPV substudy, which included an additional survey. Occurrence of IPV was assessed using the Composite Abuse Scale. Of the 93 new relationships reported by 66 women in the control group, the 1-year risk of IPV was 26.8%. In contrast, of the 113 new relationships reported by 87 women in the EAAA program group, the 1-year risk of IPV was 12.2%. Effectively, the EAAA program significantly reduced the 1-year risk of IPV by 54.4% (p = .037, 95% CI [2.9%, 79.8%]). Our findings suggest that the EAAA program is effective in reducing the risk of IPV and highlights the generalizability of programming that targets the foundational underpinning of multiple forms of gender-based violence.

Representation of Violence Against Women in Shashi Deshpande's The Dark Holds No Terror and The Binding Vine

Shashi Deshpande is one of the prominent female authors in the Indian writing in English who paved the path of a ‘new woman’ for a glorious and hopeful future. Though the female characters initially appear to be subordinated and subjugated but ultimately, they struggle against the patriarchal prejudices and stereotypes to make a mark of their own. The paper aims to bring out how violence has been used to suppress and subjugate women in a patriarchal setup by exploring Shashi Deshpande's The Dark Holds No Terrors and The Binding Vine. The Dark Holds No Terrors exposed the sensitive issue of marital rape and gender discrimination while The Binding Vine shows women facing violence through rape, marital rape, mental harassment and gender discrimination.

EHR Documentation and Referrals for Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault.

Hospital settings provide a unique opportunity to screen for interpersonal violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) yet often lack health IT solutions for generating reliable and valid medico-legal documentation via forensic reports. The objective of the project was to evaluate a pilot, technology "tool" for documenting cases of IPV and SA that could support forensic nurse examiners and related stakeholders in generating high quality documentation and coordinating victim support services. The tool was a digital health intervention implemented for use among forensic nurse examiners, law enforcement, victim support organizations, and more within four counties of California. We conducted a mixed-methods pilot study that captured data around the adoption, use, and impact of having access to the newly implemented tool. The tool successfully went live in all four pilot counties at different time points with different proportions of use by county and form type: exams, referrals, addenda, risk assessments, and other. Participants were motivated to use the tool out of a perceived need for data handling functionalities that went beyond traditional manual (paper) means. Key functionalities included body mapping, data quality controls within validated forms, attaching addenda to already existing case reports, and the means to distribute data to external recipients. Further study and development are needed on functions to incorporate into body maps and forms, and understanding the information needs of law enforcement and victim support organizations. Our evaluation demonstrated the feasibility and acceptability of a health IT tool to support forensic nurse documentation of IPV and SA, and direct information to multiple legal and support-related stakeholders. Areas of future development include integrating IPV and SA-related data standards for digitized forms, enhancements to the body mapping feature, and understanding the needs of those who receive digital data from forensic nurse examiners within the tool.

Sexual Violence and Revictimization in Rural LGBTQ+ Communities.

Previous research has shown there is a high prevalence of sexual violence (SV) and revictimization among the LGBTQ+ community. Little is known about the prevalence of SV and revictimization among rural LGBTQ+ individuals. This study investigates patterns of revictimization and the prevalence of SV among sexual and gender minority individuals. Less resources, services, and more social isolation in rural areas may exacerbate SV. The Illinois Cohort Study is a longitudinal cohort made up of LGBTQ+ individuals with recruitment from June to September 2022. Individuals that have met the screening criteria were delivered a series of surveys for completion, after obtaining consent and given an incentive for their participation. Survey questions on intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and revictimization were collected and described using descriptive statistics. Rural areas were defined as having a population less than 50,000. A total of N = 74 participants responded to the third survey. There were 46% of participants who identified as non-cisgender, and roughly 48% of participants identified as bisexual, pansexual, or other. There were 58% of participants who experienced some form of SV. Factors significantly associated with SV included age, gender, and total Adverse Childhood Experience score (p < .001, .0278, and .002, respectively). There were 70% of participants who reported experiencing SV more than once. Those who reported being sexually victimized more than once reported the abuse lasting an average of 11 years. There were 46% of participants who felt unsafe or trapped in their current relationship. Lesbian (31%) or bisexual (31%) participants were significantly more likely to report feeling afraid in their relationship (p = .041). This study showed that in rural areas, SV is prevalent among LGBTQ+ individuals. Data can be used to produce interventions and resources to reduce the prevalence of SV and revictimization among rural LGBTQ+ individuals.

A Study on Obstacles in Considering Marital Rape as Rape in India

Marital Rape is the word which depicts the sexual demonstrations committed against the wish of spouse's assent and makes the trepidation in the psyche of females that the actual aggravation would proceed assuming she stands up to 32% of ladies in India who have at any point been hitched have encountered spousal physical, sexual, or close to home viciousness, as per the most recent fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NHFS-5).It further uncovered that 25% of hitched ladies in the 18-49 years age bunch who have encountered spousal physical or sexual brutality report having actual wounds, including seven percent who have had eye wounds, injuries, separations, or consumes and 6 percent who have had profound injuries, broken bones, broken teeth, or some other serious injury. Objectives that have been put sent by the scientist, for example, to know individuals' viewpoint about conjugal assault and the purpose for why it is as yet detailed least in ammount and battles in considering conjugal assault as rape

The Study of Comparative Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of Marital Rape Debate in 2022

The Study of Comparative Analysis of Newspaper Coverage of Marital Rape Debate in 2022

Dispute of the Illegality of Marital Rape under Chinese Law

Marital rape is a prevalent form of sexual violence that exists worldwide. Due to its occurrence within the context of marriage, it possesses certain nuances, leading to ongoing debates on whether it should be considered a crime or not. In comparative law, many countries have already included marital rape within their legal systems for assessment and evaluation. However, China still lacks legislation addressing this issue, resulting in inconsistent verdicts for similar cases. In light of the development history of marital rape in comparative law, the current focus of the academic community in China revolves around the points of contention and the study of typical cases. This article posits that although entering into a marital relationship confers certain status upon women, the protection of women's sexual autonomy remains indispensable, and the sexual autonomy of married women should still be considered within the framework of criminal law. Nevertheless, given the distinctive characteristics of the marital relationship, it is necessary to devise new regulations for the recognition and application of marital rape.

Emerging Trends in Intimate Partner Rape and Marital/Spousal Rape During the Biennium 2020 and 2021, Including the COVID-19 Pandemic in Greece.

Intimate partner or marital/spousal rape is a phenomenon with unique characteristics and dynamics. Furthermore, it is an under-explored, under-defined, under-reported, and widely tolerated phenomenon. Gender-based violence and intimate partner violence are the main topics of the present study. The study aimed at exploring the trends in reported intimate partner and marital/spousal rape, within the wider context of reported domestic violence during the years 2020 and 2021 in Greece. Statistical analysis has not indicated positive correlation between the rate of reported domestic violence per year and the rate of reported domestic rape per year, with the former following an upward trend and the latter maintaining an almost steady course. Similarly, the rate of reported victims of intimate partner rape per year remained almost stable within in the 2 years. Importantly however, in 2021, the rate of reported victims of marital rape per year increased remarkably compared to 2020. In 2021, the rates of reported domestic violence per month and reported domestic rape per month indicated remarkable increase over the period May to December 2021. Notwithstanding, the rates mentioned above remained almost stable over the year 2020, showing an upward trend during the summer months. In August 2020 and 2021 the abovementioned rates reached their peak. In both years, the vast majority of victims of domestic rape were females, mostly between 30 and 45 years of age. The present study indicated an increase in rates of reported domestic violence and reported domestic rape per month after the lockdowns, especially after the second long-lasting lockdown that ended in May 2021. This increase, however, might be only apparent. Further research is needed to study the epidemiology of intimate partner and marital rape over a much longer timespan to provide further insight into the dynamics surrounding a public health concern.

Marital Rape As A Crime Of Sexual Violence In Positive Law In Indonesia

Rape in a relationship has similar effects to rape outside of marriage. It is intended to avoid unnatural sexual behavior in a couple. Although men are considered to have full rights over their wives including in terms of sexual relations, it can worsen the relationship. The problem raised in this paper is to find out how the regulation of marital rape in Indonesia. The research method used is normative legal research, in order to analyze the vague norms related to marital rape in Law No. 23 Thn. 2004 with Law No. 12 of 2022. With the results of the analysis explaining that the factor of marital rape which later became a serious case both in the national and international scope needs regulations on marital rape, especially in Indonesia as a form of affirmation in the gander structure.

Research on Intimate Partner Sexual Assault Using Previously Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits

Sexual violence is most often perpetrated by someone a survivor knows, including intimate partners. Yet, this continues to be one of the least understood types of sexual violence. This paper explores intimate partner sexual assault. Using data from one of the sites for the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI), it examines the characteristics of the cases involving intimate partners, how they compare to stranger cases, and implications this might have for our knowledge of intimate partner sexual assault and what should be done to respond to it. Of the 1411 previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits in the study, 276 (almost 20%) involved intimate partner cases. While both intimate partner and stranger victims were overwhelmingly young and female, intimate partner cases were more likely to occur in private residences and involved more violence in addition to the sexual assault than stranger cases. In fact, over one-third of the intimate partner cases involved other violence. Intimate partner cases were also more likely to be charged and screened at the original incident. These findings have important implications for the response to intimate partner sexual assault. Law enforcement, service providers, and health care professionals must be knowledgeable about different types of sexual assault in order to employ the most effective and supportive responses.

Marital Rape as Structual Violence in the Legal System

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) stands as a significant concern for mental health professionals and advocates for women's rights. In this realm, marital rape is identified as the unwelcome sexual acts a husband imposes on his wife, frequently accompanied by physical violence and threats, instilling fear and injury in women. Despite the profound trauma it causes, marital rape is not universally illegal or considered a severe crime in some areas. The lack of attention to marital rape by society and the legal frameworks, especially in the context of increasing awareness of women's health, warrants a closer look. This study seeks to explore the influence of societal views on marital rape on the seeming leniency of the legal system and proposes possible remedies. It is clear that in societies with deep-rooted patriarchal values, where a husband's authority is prioritized, marital rape is normalized as a form of structural violence, thereby undermining the legal system's response. Addressing this issue requires strict legal reforms, including joining international frameworks and comprehensive public education to raise awareness.

Safe at home? Examining the extension of criminal penalties for marital rape in cross-national context, 1979–2013

AbstractWhile sociologists have focused on the national adoption of public-sphere women’s rights such as the right to vote in elections or participate fully in economic matters, less work has examined the diffusion of private-sphere women’s rights, rights of women in the home. We address this gap by examining the cross-national adoption of laws that criminalize marital rape. Building on prior research that finds that women’s rights organizations and women’s rights focused treaties, we explore the cross-national determinants of the criminalization of marital rape. Using an event history analysis covering 131 countries from 1979 to 2013, we find support for the global institutionalist framework that contends that socialization into the global system and direct advocacy efforts of global organizations contribute to faster rates of criminalization of marital rape. Further, we suggest that these global institutionalist processes become amplified when they are focused by events that set the agenda for international organizations. Implications for world-society scholarship on the global adoption of women’s rights are further discussed.

‘A Prisoner on the Rack’: Marital Rape, Consent, and the Gothic in Late-Nineteenth-Century Colonial Women’s Writings

ABSTRACT This article explores how marital rape was represented in the fiction and non-fiction writings of four colonial female authors – Barbara Baynton, Ada Cambridge, Louisa Lawson, and Rosa Praed. It examines how these women conceptualised marital rape as a form of domestic violence or ‘cruelty’ in marriage, intrinsically linked to other forms of marital violence such as physical and mental abuse, and with marital rape representative of the unacceptability and immorality of a husband’s total control over his wife’s body. It also analyses how these literary representations differed from discussions about marital rape and domestic violence by suffrage agitators such as Rose Scott and Maybanke Anderson. The article argues that Baynton, Cambridge, and Lawson used the language and tropes of the Gothic in order to generate understanding for and empathy with wives and their inability to consent in the marital bed. This article therefore illuminates the intersecting conversations by both female authors and suffrage agitators in late-nineteenth-century Australia about married women’s right to consent, domestic violence, and acceptable marital masculine behaviour, highlighting how access to Gothic tropes allowed colonial female authors to foreground women’s bodily autonomy and depict marital rape in the level of graphic detail that suffrage agitators could not.

Web-Based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment for Traumatic Stress and Alcohol Misuse Among Survivors of Sexual Assault and Intimate Partner Violence: Usability and Acceptability Study.

Recent survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) are at a high risk for traumatic stress and alcohol misuse. IPV and SA survivors face barriers to services for traumatic stress and alcohol misuse and have low service utilization rates. One way to increase access to services for this population is the use of web-based screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT), an evidence-informed approach for early identification of traumatic stress and alcohol and drug misuse and connecting individuals to treatment. This study aims to assess the usability and acceptability of a web-based SBIRT called CHAT (Choices For Your Health After Trauma) tailored to address traumatic stress and alcohol misuse following past-year IPV, SA, or both. Phase 1 involved gathering feedback about usability and acceptability from focus groups with victim service professionals (22/52, 42%) and interviews with past-year survivors of IPV, SA, or both (13/52, 25%). Phase 2 involved gathering feedback about the acceptability of an adapted version of CHAT in an additional sample of recent survivors (17/52, 33%). Survey data on history of IPV and SA, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, alcohol and drug use, and service use were collected from survivors in both phases to characterize the samples. Qualitative content and thematic analyses of the interviews and focus group data were conducted using a coding template analysis comprising 6 a priori themes (usability, visual design, user engagement, content, therapeutic persuasiveness, and therapeutic alliance). Six themes emerged during the focus groups and interviews related to CHAT: usability, visual design, user engagement, content, therapeutic persuasiveness, and therapeutic alliance. Phase 1 providers and survivors viewed CHAT as acceptable, easy to understand, and helpful. Participants reported that the intervention could facilitate higher engagement in this population as the web-based modality is anonymous, easily accessible, and brief. Participants offered helpful suggestions for improving CHAT by updating images, increasing content personalization, reducing text, and making users aware that the intervention is confidential. The recommendations of phase 1 participants were incorporated into CHAT. Phase 2 survivors viewed the revised intervention and found it highly acceptable (mean 4.1 out of 5, SD 1.29). A total of 4 themes encapsulated participant's favorite aspects of CHAT: (1) content and features, (2) accessible and easy to use, (3) education, and (4) personalization. Six survivors denied disliking any aspect. The themes on recommended changes included content and features, brevity, personalization, and language access. Participants provided dissemination recommendations. Overall, CHAT was acceptable among victim service professionals and survivors. Positive reactions to CHAT show promise for future research investigating the efficacy and potential benefit of CHAT when integrated into services for people with traumatic stress and alcohol misuse after recent IPV and SA.

Marital Rape: An Impediment on Women’s Right in India

Women in India have not yet achieved equality or are able to fully exercise their rights as a result of the patriarchal structure of the country. The marriage relationship also reflects this imbalance which is a threat to gender neutrality and gender equality which our constitution aims to achieve. In Indian culture, there are many different types of violence against wives during marriage, one such is marital rape. In the affair of marital rape, consent is irrelevant. It is excluded from the Indian Penal Code’s definition of rape in Section 375. In India, forcing a wife into sexual intimacy by a husband is therefore not illegal. Our judicial system ignores marital rape since the crime is not recognised as rape in a marriage, despite the fact that it is a severe problem that our legislature has failed to acknowledge. Marital rape has very serious repercussions that go far beyond just physical harm; they also cause emotional and psychological harm. In this paper, we will attempt to examine the idea of marital rape, how it relates to the idea of gender equality, and how it violates the constitutionally protected rights of women under the different dimensions of Art. 14, 15, 19 (1) (a) and 21.

Trauma-informed music therapy with adult survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault: A scoping review

Trauma is a phenomenon that shapes our lives and can manifest in symptoms both overt and hidden. There are myriad causes and activators of trauma: it is pervasive, and therapists can presume that the people we see in sessions have experienced one or more traumas. Across cultures, neurobiological responses to trauma are shared: dysregulation of affect, changes in neurological functioning and processing, and prolonged stress reactions are common outcomes experienced by people from around the world. Intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault (SA) create traumatic symptoms and responses in survivors; these can be debilitating and life-altering events. Music as a therapeutic modality offers survivors a way to process the effects of past and present traumatic events in a way that does not rely solely on cognitive processing or for survivors to relive memories that activate more stress or cause retraumatization. The purpose of this scoping review was to identify salient and current trends in music therapy that integrate a trauma-informed approach to working with women-identifying survivors of IPV and SA. Findings indicate a lack of continuity in theoretical and practical approaches. A theme of resiliency arose, and therapeutic experiences of songwriting, clinical improvisation, and active music making emerged as primary foci for clinical work.

Development and Validation of the Bystander Engagement Scale for Witnessed Intimate Partner Violence: A South Korean Version.

Bystanders play a crucial role in assisting and rescuing victims of intimate partner violence (IPV) or sexual assault, thereby preventing further harm. Consequently, an increasing amount of research has focused on improving bystander interventions in such situations. While many existing scales that measure bystanders' willingness to intervene and their behaviors are likely tailored to Western settings and primarily focused on preventing sexual assaults, pursuing diversity to make these scales applicable to a variety of contexts is necessary. This study aimed to develop and validate a scale from South Korean samples that measure the likely level of bystander engagement in witnessed IPV situations, named the Bystander Engagement Scale for Witnessed Intimate Partner Violence (BESW-IPV). Preliminary items, developed to describe various IPV situations that a bystander might witness, underwent content validity testing through expert review and cognitive focus group interviews. Afterward, the scale was administered to 311 participants from the target population in South Korea. The scale's factor structure was assessed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability and validity were rigorously assessed. The final version of the BESW-IPV comprised 28 items. Through EFA, "direct IPV indicators" and "indirect IPV indicators" were identified. Together, these factors accounted for 76.10% of the total variance. CFA affirmed that the final model offers an acceptable fit. The scale's convergent and discriminant validities were also well established. The Cronbach's alpha and the McDonald's omega values were 0.98 and 0.99, respectively. In contrast to many existing tools that measure bystander intervention predominantly within the confines of Western educational settings, we believe that the BESW-IPV can be applied in broader contexts, especially in patriarchal environments. Further research is required to translate and validate this tool in different cultural contexts.

The value of feminist legal methods in adjudicating women’s issues: a critical comparison of two judicial approaches from India

ABSTRACT Feminists have demonstrated that positivist law adopts a patriarchal lens that marginalizes or ignores women’s lived realities. This leads to legal decision-making that does not reflect women’s real and varied experiences. Therefore, in this article, I argue for the use of feminist legal methods in adjudicating women’s rights by comparing two distinct judicial approaches emerging from recent decisions of the Indian Supreme Court and Delhi High Court respectively on issues that affect women’s rights and lives profoundly: the right to abortion and the criminalization of marital rape. I contrast the approaches taken by the Supreme Court in X v The Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department (2022) and by the Delhi High Court in RIT Foundation v Union of India (2022) through Hari Shankar J’.s opinion, to demonstrate how the use of feminist legal methods leads to findings more in tune with the gendered needs and concerns of women.

Marital or Spousal Rape: A License to Rape? Ghana's Position on Spousal Rape

Marital or Spousal Rape: A License to Rape? Ghana's Position on Spousal Rape

Trend and spatial pattern of intimate partner rape notifications against women in Northeast Brazil (2013-2022).

To analyze the trend and spatial pattern of intimate partner rape reports against women in Northeast Brazil. Ecological time-series study and spatial analysis with secondary data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System between 2013 and 2022. Gross rape rates were calculated by type of intimate partner and by age group of the victim. Prais-Winsten regression was used to calculate the trend, and the global and local Moran indices were used for spatial analysis. A total of 5,542 cases of intimate partner rape were reported. Spousal rates ranged from 0.34/100,000 women in 2013 to 0.51/100,000 in 2017, with greater increases between 2018 (1.04/100 thousand) and 2022 (1.28/100 thousand). There was an upward trend in the Northeast as a whole (APC=19.47; 95%CI 15.88-23.22) and in almost all states, except Paraíba and Sergipe. Cases perpetrated by boyfriends (APC=23.90; 95%CI 12.80-36.09) and among women aged 15 to 19 years (APC=22.63; 95%CI 4.18-44.35) showed the highest annual variation. A concentration of high rates was observed in several municipalities in the northwest of Ceará and southeast of Pernambuco. The trend in intimate partner rape rates against women increased in the Northeast, especially among younger women and by boyfriends, with a greater agglomeration of notifications in Ceará and Pernambuco.