'Twisted' filmmaker says ‘rape without violence’ should be legalized, asks women to carry condoms and 'co-operate'
A filmmaker from India, Daniel Shravan, is facing a major backlash after suggesting the government should legalize “rape without violence” in order to ensure the safety of the victims.
Posting a series of messages on Twitter, Shravan expressed his views following the brutal rape and murder of a veterinary doctor in Hyderabad in the state of Telangana last week, Gulf News reports.
“Rape is not a serious thing, but murder is inexcusable. The government should legalize rape without violence for the safety of women. It seems to be the only way rape victims can be protected from murder,” Shravan wrote in a now-deleted post.
According to the filmmaker, women should “cooperate with rapists and carry condoms” with them.
“If you are about to get raped, hand over a condom to the rapist and cooperate with him while he fulfills his sexual desire. That way he will not try to harm you,” Shravan added.
Furthermore, Shravan also made bizarre claims including one that the Indian society and women's rights organizations were responsible for the brutal murder of rape victims.
“The society, as well as the government, is frightening rapists. This is not the way. The girls above the age of 18 should be educated about rape. The girls should never deny the sexual desires of men. Especially Indian girls should be aware of sex education like carrying condoms and dental dams after the age of 18,” he said.
What's more? He said a woman should “readily” accept the situation instead of objecting to rape.
“The rapists are not finding a way to fulfill their bodily desires and therefore, they get these killing thoughts. An evil thought provokes crime like murder. Better women should accept rape and not fight it,” Shravan said.
According to the filmmaker, the government was foolish in assuming that rape laws would deter such incidents in the country.
“It is foolishness of the government to think that killing Veerappan (a forest smuggler) will control smuggling, killing Osama Bin Laden will control terrorism. In the same way, the laws against rape can’t control rapes,” he said.
Several prominent social media users were enraged at Shravan's comments.
“It is sad to know that an educated person is giving these insane ideas. Some of the content that he posted on social media is in Telugu. But a few statements that he made in English are horrible. He has exposed his sick mindset,” women rights activist Shashi Sharma told Gulf News.
Meanwhile, activist Anjana Bala said the filmmaker should immediately visit a psychiatrist.
“He sounds like a pervert. I cannot believe what he said. It is not a joke to talk about rape and rape victims like this. A person with a sound brain cannot utter such rubbish. He needs to see a psychiatrist,” Bala told Gulf News.
According to Sharma, Shravan made the comments in a bid to seek "cheap publicity."
“I guess we should ignore his comments totally because this looks like a cheap publicity stunt. He is a small-time film-maker and maybe he is seeking his two minutes of fame,” she added.