Can't impose international marital rape concept on India: Government

(THETIMESOFINDIA)The government on Thursday said the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be applied in the Indian context.

AskedinParliamentonThursdaywhetherthecentralgovernmenthadanyplanstocriminalisemaritalrape,UnionministerforwomenandchilddevelopmentManekaGandhisaidinawrittenreply,

"Itisconsideredthattheconceptofmaritalrape,asunderstoodinternationally,cannotbesuitablyappliedintheIndiancontextduetovariousfactorslikelevelofeducation/illiteracy,poverty,myriadsocialcustomsandvalues,religiousbeliefs,mindsetofthesocietytotreatthemarriageasasacramentetc."

ReplyingtoanotherquestioninRajyaSabha,Gandhisaidtheschemeforuniversalisationofthewomen'shelplinehasbeenapprovedforimplementationthroughstates/UnionTerritoriesfromApril1lastyeartoprovide24-houremergencyandnon-emergencyresponsetowomenaffectedbyviolencebothinpublicandprivatespheres,includingwithinthefamily,commu-nityandworkplace.

"AllthestatesandUnionTerritorieshavebeenre-questedtosubmittheproposalsinordertoreleasefunds.Fundshavebeensanctioned/releasedto33states/UTsforsettingupthewomen'shelpline,"theministersaid.

TheWCDministryhasalsoconceptualisedanideaofwomen'swelfarecommitteestobeestablishedinalldistrictsofthecountry.How-ever,nosuchproposalhasbeenformulatedsofar.