Rape is violation of sexual consent. It occurs when one person forces another to have sex. Therefore, rape of a spouse by another is a marital rape.
It is considered as a form of domestic violence and sexual abuse even if there is no physical violence involved.
Historically, wives were considered as the property of husbands and they could force sex upon their wives without violating any rules. At the time, the states were discouraged from interfering in a relationship due to the public’s interest in promoting harmonious marital life.
Now, engaging in any sexual activities without the consent of the spouse is classified as rape around various communities in the world.
Since the second half of the 20th century more attention is been given to sexual and domestic violence in a family, especially violence against women. However, marital rape is widely tolerated and, in many countries, it is not yet deemed to be illegal or within criminal law.
The main cause of reluctance to define non-consensual sex between a married couple as a crime is due to cultural and traditional views of marriage.
During the second wave of feminism, in 1960s and 1970s, these traditional views on non-consensual sex in marriage started changing in Western Countries. This was so because of the recognition of women’s right to self-determination of all aspects related to her body. This led to the defense of marital rape.
Marital rape has been criminalized in many countries since the late 20th century.
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Also Read: What Is Marital Rape?
