Thanks for your considered comments. I should apologise as I ought to have mentioned at the outset that “rape” in this article presumed the act of this extreme sexual violence being perpetrated by a man where the victim is a woman. This was with reference to the recent recurring unfortunate events of sexual violence against women in India. I had no intention to marginalise the experience of any individual who does not belong to this context. Your points are extremely well-made and appreciated.

Thanks for posting this interview covering a broad range of aspects of sexual violence. I wonder if it would be useful to add some notes on how some of us think about rape in the Unites States.

It’s interesting to hear Dr. Gangopadhyay talk about the use of anti-libidinal drugs as a form of therapy for perpetrators. In the US, a more radical analysis of rape suggests that it isn’t about sexual gratification at all, but about domination, power and control. Some here would suggest that curbing the libido of perpetrators wouldn’t actually reduce the rates of sexual violence, rather the need is to address the root causes of unequal power and systems of oppression. From this perspective, it’s easier to see that although in most cases the perpetrator is male and the survivor is female, offenders can be of any gender, any race, any class background, any sexual orientation, any marital status, etc.

I deeply appreciate the perspective that sexual violence is becoming less of a norm in India. When someone close to me came out to her extended family as a survivor, somebody told them that they feel like every woman in India is a survivor of sexual assault. Not a scientific analysis by any means, but it was striking that she honestly felt that way. I’m excited to be living in a time where the perspective on violence against women in India is shifting!

I also appreciate the connection between selective abortion, infanticide and sexual violence. Sexism and male domination is thought to be one of the major factors that allows our rape culture to perpetuate here in the states. Though again, I’d suggest that it’s too narrow to think of *all* offenders and straight men, even if that’s the case a majority of the time. We run the risk of marginalized the experiences of those survivors that don’t fit into this description. Not all rapists are men, not all rapists are straight, though in a vast majority of cases this may be true.

Thanks you for sharing this interview, I’m grateful to have learned from your perspective.

Regards
Amrita

Regards
Amrita