“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will” -Mahatma Gandhi.
Rape is a type of sexual assault in which the rapist forcibly engages in sexual intercourse or sexual penetration without the consent of the other person (the victim).
Rape is typically carried out by men on female victims. In most cases, females are raped by people they know, such as family, friends, and acquaintances, rather than strangers.
It is highly likely that victims of brutal rape will experience psychological and physical issues like trauma, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), forced pregnancies, STDs, and other issues. Rapes have been classified into many types, for instance: date rape, gang rape, war rape, marital rape, child sexual abuse, and so on.
Causes of Rape
According to WHO three principal factors facilitate rape against women, include:
An attitude of male sexual entitlements
Weak laws against sexual violence
Sexual purity and family honour
Other major factors like anger, sadism, power, and sexual gratification also lead to rapes in society. According to David Lisak, a Clinical psychologist, most men rape women because of anger and a desire to dominate and control women. These types of men are more impulsive, anti-social, hypermasculine and less empathetic.
The victims of sex trafficking and cybersex trafficking also get raped either for financial gain or sexual gratification.
Effects of Rape on the Victim
Experiencing rape can disbalance the inner and outer health of the victim. Some physical effects are:
Urinary infections
Sexually transmitted diseases
Visible bruising or bleeding in and around the vaginal area
Unwanted pregnancy
Painful intercourse in the future
Uterine Fibroids
Dealing with rape is highly traumatic, and eventually, apart from a decline in physical health, the victims also face short- or long-term mental imbalances.
Some of the psychological effects are enlisted below:
PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) and RTS(Rape trauma syndrome) with anxiety and stress
Sleep and eating disorders
Trust issues; feeling uneasy in carrying out even regular social activities
Blaming oneself as an avoidance-based coping technique
Flashbacks, nightmares
Rape Traumatic Syndrome (RTS)
Rape victims often face this psychological trauma. It includes disturbances in normal day-to-day activities because of emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal behaviour disruption.
Sociologist Lynda Lytle Holmstrom and Nurse Ann Wolbert Burgess coined this term in society in 1974.
RTS is experienced by a majority of rape victims either immediately or after a couple of months or years. RTS usually leads to severe PTSD.
Its symptoms include psychological distress, anxiety, helplessness, flashbacks and nightmares, anger, sexual dysfunction, suicidal thoughts, depression, phobias, and so on.
How to Cope?
There could be a chance that many rape victims heal from their trauma without any aid from therapy. However, if someone is not able to cope on their own, it is essential to receive professional help. Therapies for rape victims include group therapy, one-on-one therapy, and pharmacotherapy (medication).
Some common rape therapies include:
Stress Inoculation Rape Therapy
This therapy was developed to tackle anxiety and fear among the victims. It helps the victims realise that fear is a normal response to trauma. They are then motivated to control their fear through cognitive-behavioural techniques like mental rehearsal and self-talk. In the end, the victims are encouraged to use their skills and avoid self-criticism and reward themselves for their progress.
Cognitive Processing Therapy
In this therapy, the victims are told to identify the “stuck points.” It means identifying the particular parts which lead to inadequate emotions in them. This therapy works very effectively to treat depression and guilt associated with trauma.
Supporting Counseling Rape Therapy
This therapy is widely used in many rape crisis intervention centres. In this therapy, the therapist actively lends his ears to the victim and reciprocates tenderness, warmth, unconditional positive regard, and support.
How to Support a Rape Victim
It's hard to see someone who is suffering day in and day out and struggling with the mental and physical pain to overcome rape. Hence we must support rape victims and bring them out of the vicious circle of blame, trauma, and victimisation. According to the Rape, Incest, and Abuse National Network, below are certain points that will help us encourage someone to relive their life.
Listen to them patiently and encourage the victim's loved ones to respect the victim’s choices.
Recollecting past horrible incidents could be gut-wrenching but still motivate them to report the crime immediately and seek justice. For helpline contact National Rape Helpline no. 8793088814, 8793088815.
If the victim is having suicidal thoughts, immediately take them to a mental health professional for further counselling.
Don’t isolate them, treat them as normal and try to engage them in daily social activities.
Accept them wholeheartedly, instead of blaming her.
Conclusion
We encounter news revolving around rape almost daily. There are no qualms about the fact that the number of rape cases is rising day by day. Unfortunately, people usually blame the victim instead of supporting and seeking justice for her. They even fail to think about how severe it is for the victim to cope with the physical and mental trauma of rape.
In addition to this, Rape Trauma Syndrome is one such mental disorder that almost every victim faces. Unfortunately, many victims aren't able to cope with this, and they end up blaming themselves and experiencing guilt.
Nevertheless, there are many therapies and mental health professionals who can aid the victims in coping with the trauma of rape. Hence, we should accept them and seek justice for them.
References
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