IN Swaziland, teenage girls are taught about sexually
transmitted diseases, condoms and HIV testing information handed out at will as
they learn that sex is dangerous
and mostly for men. In India, The Justice Verma Committee’s recommendation on
recognizing marital rape as an offence under criminal law was hastily swept
aside by the Standing Committee on Home, on the basis that 'marriage
presumes consent.' And a few weeks ago, in the HBO series Girls,
Adam raped his girlfriend Natalia onscreen. Or did he? It was, according to
Slate, at the very least, “uncomfortable.” Or maybe it
was a violation and “something she
didn’t like?"
All three of these situations highlight an unspoken
topic in the fight against rape and sexual abuse: the presumed notion of
consent.
