Feb 20, 2024 - 06:57
By edition.cnn.com

Married to my rapist: The Indian women saying no

Editor’s Note: This article contains details that readers may find distressing.

New Delhi CNN —

Behind the closed doors of bedrooms across India, the anachronistic opinions of a 17th Century jurist still guide the rules of sex between husband and wife.

Englishman Matthew Hale famously considered women to become their husband’s possession on marriage, a belief written into English common law, exported to the colonies and later abandoned over centuries in many countries – but not in India.

Here, it’s not a crime for a man to force sex or sexual acts on his wife, as long as she is over 18.

It’s almost impossible to know what happens inside marital homes in the world’s most populous country, and the intimate discussions that may or may not occur before either party initiates sex.

But experts say India’s patriarchal society demands certain behavior from wives, and often that means a wife must comply with her husband’s wishes, whether she’s a willing partner or not.

Campaigners have been trying to change the law for years, but they say they’re up against conservatives who argue that state interference could destroy the tradition of marriage in India.

Last year, the Delhi High Court delivered a split verdict on the issue, prompting lawyers to file an appeal in the country’s Supreme Court that is expected to be heard soon.

CNN spoke with three women, contacted through social workers and non-government agencies, who accuse their husbands of rape. None of the women want to be named, and are using aliases to avoid repercussions.