Indian society fails to recognise marital rape as crime: Katrina

Mumbai, Dec 6 (IANS) Actress Katrina Kaif says that educated women largely remain quiet about marital rape as a majority of Indian society doesnt recognise it as a crime.
Katrina spoke about the issue on Tuesday at the ‘WeUnite’ conference, which marks UN Women’s partnership with the IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Katrina said: “I know of educated women who remain silent in the face of violence because they are afraid to confront societal norms and have fingers pointed in their own direction, especially when the majority of our society fails to recognise marital rape as a crime.”
“The world has largely been led by patriarchal societies and women have, through the years, largely remained quiet in the face of atrocities rather than speaking out against them,” she added.
“On a daily basis, there is a shocking story in media, there is a violent crime committed against women. I can only imagine how many crimes against women go unrecorded,” she said.
However, Katrina thinks the issue is prevalent not only in India.
“No region of the world, no country, no culture is there in which women’s freedom from violence has been secured.”
“I would urge more women to speak up. It is not okay to feel inferior or weak because we are not the weaker sex by any stretch of the imagination,” she added.