New Delhi: Dalit women who have suffered caste rapes were subjected to more humiliation than other women similarly assaulted , says a first of its kind research study detailing psychological trauma of women raped.
When dalit women are assaulted , offenders use foul language vilifying the woman verbally , says the survey, invariably calling them prostitutes. The feeling of being dehumanized, of having been demeaned is far greater for dalit women, says clinical psychologist Rajat Mitra , who led the study conducted by NGO Swanchetan that works with victims of sexual assault . Mitra notes that in any other rape, the victim is not called a prostitute .
Titled A research study on sexual assault , it was done through detailed interviews of victims identified by state-level NGOs and government homes as well as by inviting victims to take part in the survey via posters and radio announcements. Of the 122 identified, 66 women agreed to the interview. The questionnaires themes were identified and built on basis of data collected over the last 10 years and conducted in the last two. Being a first of its kind, interviewers too were sensitized to the demands of the survey, says Mitra. Mean and standard deviation for each psychological parameter was calculated; t-test and Duncans mean test used for comparative analyses.
The comparative study between dalits and non-dalits showed that dalits felt anguish to a greater degree of intensity. They often see rape as something ordained by virtue of a double disadvantage : being dalit and woman. Whenever a dalit woman is raped, it gets connected to all other sufferings and discriminations . Dalits being in a disadvantaged position and theres no resilience, no bouncing back, says Mitra.
The women shared that during the attack, the men seemed to have more pleasure in humiliating their origins and background , adds Mitra. The report details their almost-ritualistic ostracism after the rape where older dalit women also attempt to explain rape as tradition .
In a qualitative assessment, the report says girls are almost prepared to expect assault.
It says, Allusions to rape by upper castes begin to appear in subtle conversations and often inflate their anxiety and depressive symptoms that begin to mark (rape) as inevitable in the mind of young dalit girls. It is important , says Mitra, for a different rehabilitation policy for dalit women with special training for mental health professionals, judiciary and police sensitizing them to the caste angle.