India: woman rejects rapist's marriage bid

Off Our Backs, May/Jun 2005 by Verma, Priya, Douglas, Carol Anne, Pleatman, Rachel, Chapman, Annsley, Et al

An Indian woman has rejected a marriage proposal from the man who raped her, calling the idea "horrible." The convicted rapist said he offered to many her because the stigma of rape in India meant no one else would marry her.

The man was convicted of raping and seriously injuring the 22-year-old nurse at the hospital where they both worked. The woman suffered a gouged eye and facial scarring, for which she has undergone surgery four times.

Minutes before sentencing, the man issued his marriage proposal. The woman had been asked in court whether she would accept the proposal from the attacker, who had hoped it might lower his sentence. Women's groups expressed disgust at the request and disappointment that the court allowed the petition to be made.

Following the rejection, the court sentenced the rapist to life in prison. The rapist's lawyers said he planned to appeal to a higher court.

The woman told reporters "I will not marry him ... he should be given the severest punishment. He should be hanged so that such a horrendous act is not repeated with any other girl."

There were more than 300 sexual assaults in Delhi in 2004. The actual number of rapes is higher, but rapes are under-reported in India, as victims fear social discrimination if they admit they have been raped.

-info from bbc.co.uk 5/4