India: Love or Rape? (2013)

The murder and gang rape of a 23 year old Indian student caused outrage around the world. Hundreds of thousands of young people took to the streets to demand tougher sentencing and a more efficient justice system in order to curb violence against women. But, as this film shows, the underlying causes for violence in India will be difficult to overcome. Marriages are still dictated by the caste system in rural India. Patriarchal values are safeguarded by institutions such as village councils. These councils have assumed the role of enforcing a moral code and they have even been accused of instigating the murders of women accused of breaking caste rules. In the land of sexual taboos and arranged marriages, domestic violence is rampant and it usually takes the form of sexual violence. However, despite the uproar about women’s rights, the traditionalist society is not ready the tackle the problem of marital rape. In ’Love or Rape?’ we hear from the traditionalists and the modernists, the specialists in sexual education and the victims of both domestic violence and gang rapes. We also get a glimpse of how sexual violence is rooted in caste hierarchies and how it affects dalit women on the lowest ladder in society. What are the challenges that the world’s largest democracy faces as it attempts to become more gender friendly and secure for both sexes?