The Rape Victim

Rape is a trauma beyond anyone’s perception. Whatever an individual can feel for another, is but a small fraction of the whole. Most women have known the ugly taste of being either being victims of what may be regarded as simple eve teasing or the discomforting screening glances by strangers. The repulsive and nauseating feeling that your body is being looked at with temptation and sometimes with a desire to brush past, even if lightly is something most women have gone through. Rape is way beyond all of that. To face aggression of the sort, to be assaulted, to lose privacy of self and to be helpless to prevent it, can shake the psyche and confidence of a person like nothing else. No other injury has so much anguish, however severe it may be. The worst part is that it is the start of the trauma story. To register or not to register it, also takes all the guts of the victim. Registering it may start the legal process, but the process continues to be tortuous for the victim. The evidence of assault in such a case can disappear with delay in reporting the case or delay in examination of the victim by a doctor. The number of times a victim is expected to describe the incident is heart breaking. Each time she tells the story, she goes through it yet again. Her examination, which includes detailed examination of injuries on the body can make any victim think twice, thrice and more. The better and more detailed the examination, more evidence can be collected which can help a lawyer to fight the case better. To examine these injuries better, especially those on the vagina or around can be extremely painful for the victim. To not let someone hurt her in this way, spoils or weakens her case, is what she then faces. A swab or smear will be prepared which may be the ultimate proof of the crime and sometimes establish the identity of the accused. This again would feel like invasion of privacy and involve pain. All this if not done by someone trained to handle such a medico-legal case, will not yield substantial proof and the findings may remain inconclusive. A lot depends on the doctor who examines the case, as to how sensitive he or she is, how skilled and experienced he or she is in collecting evidence and observing evidence in terms of pattern of injuries and then how efficiently he or she can derive maximum conclusions and frame the opinion appropriately. A doctor who testifies in court also should be trained in the science and art of submitting evidence and stand cross examination. This also requires the doctor to be a person who is motivated to work and stand for justice to the best of his ability. The ordeal of the rape victim continues through all this with society, media, lawyers, police and each and every citizen of the country expressing their opinion and sometimes even playing a filthy blame game. This medico-legal case requires maximum expertise, empathy and patience from the health, judicial and police departments. If we can as humans and professionals, be more sensitive, we will at least do our part in easing the fight of the victim and providing support in a manner that makes a difference. Else the fight of the rape victim is a lonely battle unlike any other.