” Currently in our country almost one out of two rapes is perpetrated by a spouse or ex-spouse. However, this very serious fact is very little publicized and brought to the attention of the population. “. It is with these few lines that the forum of the French Collective against marital rape opens, published on August 10 in the newspaper Publication.
Deconstruct the myth of conjugal duty
For the signatories, who announce the creation of the collective in this text, these figures are due in particular to the very strong anchoring of the notion of conjugal duty within the couple which, ” despite the #MeToo wave it is still part of customs and the collective imagination.
This myth insidiously implies a lack of consensus:
Many victims report being coerced by their partner but do not put the word ‘rape’ on their experience, thinking their partner is within their rights. Many abusers also admit to coercing their partner, even though they feel entitled to do so under the guise of marital duty.
However, since the 1980s, the condition of partner or ex partner, cohabiting or not, constitutes a criminal aggravating circumstance for rape, bringing the penalties suffered up to 20 years of criminal imprisonment (against 15 otherwise).
But it is still necessary that the texts of the laws are correctly applied. Something far from obvious, he hammers the collective:
” There is still a lack of application of the laws on the matter and the treatment of victims.. In fact, most spousal rapes are not taken seriously by the courts and either reclassified as a crime or dismissed.. »
The question of sexual exclusivity in the couple
In addition to the archaic and sexist notion of ” conjugal duty », which therefore plays an important role in the scourge of marital rape, should we also question the model of sexual exclusivity established as a norm within the couple?
In any case, this is what author and columnist Maïa Mazaurette raises about Chirping (X):” if the couple weren’t the only legitimate sexual outlet, with possessive partners, we wouldn’t be here “.
One in three women is affected by it
Be that as it may, we must act urgently to replace the notion of consent within the couple. In fact, according to the latest report by the High Council for equality between women and men, one in three French women (33%) has already had sex at the insistence of their partner, even if she didn’t want to.
It is in the face of these dizzying figures that the collective was formed, eager to carry out in-depth work on the issue of consent within couples. Militant actions, awareness raising, support for victims…
The action of the collective is accompanied by a set of requests formulated in the forum: more prevention, training of public officials in contact with victims, integration of the subject in law and medicine curricula, revision of article 215 of the Civil Code (“ which obliges spouses to a communion of life, interpreted by jurisprudence as including conjugal duty “), exclusion of the notion of conjugal duty in the divorce proceeding, psychological support to the aggressor to avoid recidivism once the sentence has been served…
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence or you just want to find out more:
- 3919 and the government website let’s stop THE violence
- Our practical article My boyfriend hit me: how to react, what to do when you are a victim of violence in your relationship?
- the association All ahead and its help chat available at How do we love each other?
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
