Rape and Incest: Silently Suffering Women in Asian Countries
Interesting Stuff
A 65-year-old bomoh or shaman is being charged with six counts of raping his two underaged stepdaughters. He raped his 15-year–old stepdaughter on three occasions last year, leading to the stepdaughter being five months pregnant now. The man had also raped his 12-year-old daughter three times in the same year. The elder stepdaughter finally reported the incident to the police.
In another case, a contract labourer and a part-time bomoh is charged with three counts of incest. The 42-year-old spiritualist allegedly committed the offence with his sister-in-law at an unnumbered house in the Kubang Pasu district.
Many women in Asian countries still become victims of sexual crime and exploitation. They suffer in silence, being ignorant of their rights despite the advances made by other women in business, politics, science, or the arts. Society is still reliant on superstitious practices and culture despite the advances made in education and information technology. People resort to tradition when their fears, worries or desires are aroused. For example, they’d rather go to the medium or spiritual practitioner than a doctor for a medical condition. They suffer in silence rather than seek help when faced with abuses and exploitation. They lack the empowerment of knowledge, social support and high self-esteem to prevent them from being victims of exploitative men and criminals.
On the surface, society is sophisticated about sex and the new roles of men and women. But underneath the veneer are insecurity, cultural biases, and perversity born of ignorance. The result is sexual crime against children and women who do not cry out in indignation but suffer in silence and with humiliation. Crime such as incest, rape, and domestic abuse are on the rise in spite of the higher quality of life in these developing countries. The reality is much darker and murkier than the touted vision of women’s liberation and progress believed to have been achieved.