‘The Rapist Is You’: Aurat Marchers Release Urdu Version of the Chilean Anti-Rape Anthem
Feb 4, 2020
The organisers of annually-held Aurat March have released the Urdu version of the Chilean protest song A Rapist in Your Path that talks about rape culture and victim-shaming.
A Rapist in Your Path is based on the work of Argentinian theorist Rita Segato, who debates that sexual violence is a political problem, not a moral one. The anthem has been performed in Latin America, the United States and Europe.
According to a statement by the Aurat March, the song condemns the judicial system’s failure to protect women and their rights and raises awareness about the culture of violence in society. It says this culture is growing, with acts of violence being normalized and women being shamed and often blamed after reporting such acts.
The lyrics accuse the institutions – police, judiciary and political power structures – of upholding “systematic violations” of women’s rights.
“The rapist is you. It’s the cops. The judges. The state. The president. The law. The feudal. The clerics”.
The organisers have also made some additions to the original lyrics to include feudal and clerics in the song. Another part of the song describes the ways how women are blamed for falling victim to sexual violence.
“And it’s not my fault, nor where I was, nor what I wore,” it says, adding: “The rapist is you”.
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