How Spanish Gang Rape Survivor Shut Down Victim-Blaming Culture

A Spanish-Brazilian woman on a bike tour across India was gang raped by eight men while her husband was physically assaulted in Jharkhand's Dumka on March 2. The incident sparked worldwide outrage, with many calling out the compromise on safety in India, especially for women. However, some even questioned the woman for choosing to travel to India or stay in a tent on the side of the road. Now back in Spain, the bikers took to Instagram to address the persons who blamed her and her husband for allegedly taking a risk and calling the crime upon themselves. 

The woman said in the Instagram story, "I understand how some people might reach that conclusion. You know, society convinces us to live one way, to go to work, to have two children, to stay in our circle. So when a person exits their circle, they are considered risk-takers. Yes, I left the house, and yes, I took risks, but I don't regret it!"

"Do Not Regret Taking Risks"

Since the Spanish-Brazilian couple's ordeal made global headlines, people across the world took notice of the prevalent safety concerns in India, casting gloom on the country's tourism and hospitality efforts. People started questioning the couple for their choice to bike across India, a country where safety issues for women have never been hidden under the rug.

Taking to Instagram to dismantle this pervasive victim-blaming culture, the Spanish woman said, "Yes, I left the house, and yes, I took risks, but I don't regret it. I don't regret going to India. I don't regret anything about our journey." She also addressed that these issues do not depend on a region and can happen anywhere in the world.

The woman addressed, "Maybe if we had just gone another way or stayed in a hotel, this never would have happened. But using the same logic, maybe something worse would have happened and I wouldn't be alive. Accidents can happen anywhere, even inside the safety of your house."

Urges Women To Travel

Speaking to the news outlet South China Morning Post, the woman said, "I think everyone in the world expects me to say 'Don't go to India', but life is far more complicated than that. What happened to me in India could have happened anywhere else. Not so long ago, a couple travelling in Belize, in Central America, the same thing happened to them."

Despite facing the traumatising ordeal, the survivor maintained that her choice to get out of the house and travel the world has nothing to do with what the eight accused in Jharkhand chose to do to her. She urged, "My advice to women is to get out of the house, travel and do so without fear. If you are going to camp, it should be in a place not too far from the road where you can easily call for help and have a signal for your phone."

The couple is now back in Spain and said that they would travel to India again to testify in Court. "We're just taking a break in Spain. We don't know when but we are sure we will continue [the bike tour]. We've already started planning," the woman positively said. In India, the eight accused have been arrested and the Ministry of External Affairs said that the matter is "under investigation."