Death penalty for rapists does not lead to long term impact that ends rape and other gender-based harms & as feminists we unequivocally stand against all violations of human rights, including against the death penalty. 1/n
The most common reasons people supporting the death penalty for “heinous crimes” including gender-based violence is that such a punishment is deserved &/or that a punishment as harsh as the death penalty will deter more people from committing rape & symbolize zero tolerance 2/n
Yet, there is very little evidence which shows that the death penalty adequately serves as a deterrent. Most people when committing gender-based violence are less focused on how severe the punishment will be and more focused on the fact that they should not get caught 3/n
The belief that those who commit acts of gender-based violence should be punished - that the state should kill them - rests on the assumption that this act was committed in a vacuum..that these are “few bad apples” who can be extracted from society 4/n
As feminists, we know that this is a myth & that gender based violence widespread, with most women, gender minorities, children, and other vulnerable persons being particularly at risk. It is a tragedy that it is more prevalent than it is not! 5/n
So death penalty does not deal with the continuum of gender based harms that result from rape culture & cisheteropatriarchy. It aims only to remove a few bad apples rather than cut down the rotting tree. It offers a quick fix to the state which can distract from urgent needs 6/n
Critically, the growing use of the death penalty or tactics such as the “encounter killings” we saw in the recent case of gangrape in Hyderabad, undermine access to justice for survivors of gender-based violence, disregarding the numerous challenges of reporting 7/n
Survivors of gender based violence continue to be silenced, killed, and punished for speaking up. How will they come forward knowing that the offense for which they are seeking redressal might lead to death penalty? Is that what they even want in the first place? 8/n
This becomes essential to think about esp if we realize that gender based violence is committed a majority of times by acquaintances, friends & family. The consequences for seeking punishment for someone you know can be a lot greater for survivors. 9/n
