Last year, a Hindi film called ‘Satyaprem Ki Katha’ released featuring Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani. It spoke about a topic which has probably not been spoken about often, and that is date rape.
What is date rape?
It’s when someone is forced into sex during a date or a romantic situation, even if they initially agreed to be together. A woman could be dating a guy, or on a date with the guy but if there is a sexual encounter which is not consensual, is forced, or a person is intoxicated and is taken advantage of, it amounts to rape. In India, many women go through this terrifying experience, but it’s often not talked about due to shame and fear. It isn’t considered ‘rape’ because the woman is dating the person or chose to spend time with the person. She is often victim-blamed.
We are talking about date rape because a user on Reddit took to r/Mumbai to share a harrowing story of experiencing date rape.
She is 21 years old and met a guy online with whom she was speaking over text for a few months. They finally decided to meet over the weekend for dinner or just to party.
“He picked me up, I felt really uneasy with him but I decided to ignore my gut feeling. We first went to place A and got a few drinks. After this I was absolutely drunk since I hadn’t eaten that day. We couldn’t get food at place A, since he mentioned all tables were booked. He then took me to place B which is a very famous restaurant and club. Got me to have a few more drinks when I asked for water. I was almost passing out from being so drunk. He then ignored me and kept disappearing through the night,” she wrote.
The next thing she remembers is the guy being on top of her and his weight crushing her. She tried pushing him aside but that led to an argument which further led to him assaulting her.
“Next thing I remember is him being on top of me in a room, where I could feel his entire body weight crushing me. I tried to say no and push him away which lead to an argument and him slapping me twice really really hard. His friends came to his rescue so he doesn’t get in trouble and diffused the situation and got me kicked out of there,” she revealed.
She asked people online for advice on what should she do next. At the time of writing this, she was probably scared, traumatized and vulnerable.
Have a look at her entire post here:
Innumerable people online came to her support and asked her to immediately go to the police with a trusted friend or a family member and file a complaint against the guy.
They reassured her that the entire incident was not her fault and that she shouldn’t feel guilty or scared and just take necessary action.
Here’s a look at some of the reactions:
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byu/Due-Pop9723 from discussion
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byu/Due-Pop9723 from discussion
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byu/Due-Pop9723 from discussion
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byu/Due-Pop9723 from discussion
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byu/Due-Pop9723 from discussion
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byu/Due-Pop9723 from discussion
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People need to learn about consent. We must break the silence around date rape, create awareness, and change people’s mindsets so that women can feel safe and supported in India.