Categories Gender

Marital rape: Noted by SC, proved by numbers, but denied by society

The recent SC judgment on women’s right to abortion has started the debate afresh, but patriarchal Indian society still largely believes marital rape is an oxymoron

Jasmine Moosa was married off three days after she turned 18. She met her husband for the first time only on the day of the wedding. On the first night, the terrified young Jasmine ran out of the bedroom and slept with her mother-in-law. The next day, her parents came over and took her home. Since the family had also learned a bitter lesson, they agreed to her demand. The first meeting between Jasmine and her prospective groom was very impressive. He seemed open, honest, and progressive. When Jasmine tried to tell him about the bitter experience of her first marriage, he told her that the past was past, and she should move on. Jasmine was happy and thought that she had finally met her man. But she never had an idea what was in store for her.

A new nightmare

On the first night after the wedding, Jasmine saw a totally different man. He slapped her, tied her arms and legs to the bed, and raped her. He told her that “a woman in her second marriage did not deserve better.” From then onwards, he raped Jasmine every night and subjected her to severe torture. After a year, she got pregnant, but he continued with the physical violence, which caused internal injuries. Jasmine lost the foetus at five months.

Jasmine could not take any more. She walked out of home in a village in Malappuram and boarded a train to Kochi. She got a front office job at a fitness centre. That was the beginning of her second innings in life. Jasmine developed a passion for physical training and soon made commendable progress. Later, she went to Bengaluru to attend a course to be qualified as a physical trainer. Now she lives in Bengaluru and works as a physical trainer.

Jasmine shot into the limelight when she participated in the Malayalam TV show Bigg Boss Season 4, anchored by Mohanlal. Confronting a co-participant, Jasmine quit the show declaring that her self-respect mattered more to her than money and fame.

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