Marital Rape
When non-consensual sexual intercourse occurs within marriage, neither the abuser nor the victim may consider it legally rape. Many women believe that 'sex on demand' is an unwritten part of the marriage contract and they have no right to refuse sex. But marriage is a contract based on love, respect and consideration. Each party has a right to their own body. Forced sexual acts are not an expression of love but a purposeful betrayal of the respect and trust that form a solid marriage.
A woman who has been raped by her husband is inclined to blame herself. She suffers feelings of guilt and worthlessness. This blame-taking is intensified by the abuser's justifications—“It’s your fault for saying no ...'”— When no actual physical violence was used (i.e. coercion or force-only ) many men will deny that a rape has occurred at all and treat the abuse as though it was jointly consented to. This has the effect of further confusing the victim about her experience.
