It is rarely a good idea to pay too much attention to talk shows and their hosts. But once upon a time I thought differently and so they received much undeserved attention from me.

© Jes Foord Foundation

Rape culture in South Africa has become somewhat of a norm, a sign of its pervasive nature and society’s biased attitude towards gender and sexuality. Official statistics do not always reflect the fact that so many cases go unreported. This enduring nightmare often leaves victims helpless and scared for life. One victim of rape, decided to turn her status around, by taking this horrific crime and making it work for the greater good of the community around her.

The brutality of a recent rape and murder has drawn attention to an alarming rise of sexual violence in India. Activists say the surge is part of a deeper social dysfunction. Murali Krishnan reports from New Delhi.

A recent spate of jaw-dropping judgments and statements by judges and lawmakers in different parts of the world somehow seem to suggest that the unmistakable distinction between rape and consensual sex can get blurry in the very domains that should stringently uphold it, namely the courtroom and parliament.

© picture-alliance/dpa/U. Ruiz Basurto

What’s the situation of women’s and girl’s rights in your country? Gang rape, child marriage, witch hunts, domestic violence, gender bias, glass ceiling, pay gap, discrimination…

I know, you’ve read enough already! You probably shook your head when you saw the headline. Another rape? God, what is this country coming to? Why don’t they do something about it? The shock turns into anger and then the anger fades into resignation.

© AFP/Getty Images/D. Dutta

The narrative of sex in India tends to have got stuck on the issues of violence, rape and harassment. This is not surprising considering that India is a country in which a majority of the women face sexual violence on a daily basis.