The debate around marital rape across the world

Express Research

EXPRESS RESEARCH

Dear reader,   Must marital rape be made a criminal offence? The Delhi High Court is currently hearing a batch of petitions challenging the exception to Section 375 of the Indian Penal Code which exempts spouses from rape within marriage. Arguments made by the petitioners emphasise on the necessity of consent in sex, which must hold in the case of marriage as well. The government and several politicians on the other hand have argued that criminalising marital rape would destabilise the institution of marriage and that Indian marital system is premised on its own set of social and cultural norms.    The debate around marital rape is neither new nor unique to India. This week’s story by Mira Patel looks closely at the issue as it came to be debated across the world and how the laws around it evolved over decades. The first country to criminalise marital rape was the Soviet Union in 1922. In several South Asian countries including India, however, the case against marital rape is rooted in its unique socio-economic and cultural factors.    The annual Union Budget was released this week as well. A story to look out for from our archives is that of James Wilson, the British economist who presented India’s first budget. Much of what Wilson presented laid down the foundations of several economic institutions in India including that of the income tax.    Read the stories: A history of the movement to criminalise marital rape across the world                              James Wilson, the British economist who presented India’s first ‘budget’   Sincerely, Adrija Roychowdhury

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James Wilson, the British economist who presented India's first 'budget'   A history of the movement to criminalise marital rape across the world   Rajkumari Amrit Kaur: The princess who built AIIMS   When the violence of Chauri Chaura prompted Gandhi to suspend the non-cooperation movement

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