Women’s experiences of marital rape and sexual violence within marriage in India: evidence from service records

Sexual violence within marriage is common and manifests in various forms, including marital rape. It has serious physical and mental health consequences and is a violation of women’s sexual and reproductive health rights. Marital rape, reproductive coercion, inserting objects in the vagina or anus, and withholding sexual pleasure are forms of violence routinely experienced by women. Based on service records of survivors coming to public hospitals in an Indian city, this paper presents their pathways to disclosure and institutional responses such as hospitals and police. The findings highlight that a large proportion of survivors of domestic violence confide having experienced forced sexual intercourse by the husband while sharing their experience of physical, economic, and emotional violence with crisis intervention counsellors. However, a small number of women do report marital rape to formal systems like hospitals and police. These systems respond inadequately to women reporting marital rape, as the rape law exempts rape by husband. Sexual violence within marriage can have serious health consequences, and a sensitive healthcare provider can create an enabling environment for disclosing abuse and providing relevant care and support. The paper argues that a necessary precondition to enable women to access health care and justice is to nullify “Exception 2 to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code” This exception exempts rape by the husband from the purview of the rape law. Les violences sexuelles dans le mariage sont communes et se manifestent sous différentes formes, notamment par le viol conjugal. Elles ont de graves conséquences sur la santé physique et mentale et constituent une violation du droit des femmes à la santé sexuelle et reproductive. Le viol conjugal, l’obligation de procréer, l’insertion d’objets dans les parties intimes et le refus du plaisir sexuel sont des formes de violences fréquemment subies par les femmes. Sur la base des dossiers des victimes s’étant rendues dans des hôpitaux publics d’une ville indienne, cet article présente leur cheminement vers la révélation et les réponses institutionnelles données par l’hôpital et la police. Les conclusions mettent en lumière le fait qu’une forte proportion des victimes de violences familiales confient qu’elles ont été obligées par leur mari de subir des rapports sexuels tout en ayant partagé leur expérience des violences physiques, économiques et psychologiques avec des conseillers spécialisés d