IT NEVER RAINS but it pours.
With the proposed amendment to the law to make allowance for marital rape gaining public prominence has come the story out of London that Rita Marley was involved in a situation with Bob Marley where he forced himself on her.
She has said to this publication, as reported today, that the situation did arise but she does not consider it to have been rape, she thinks her husband was the best and, basically, in death as in life she stands by her man.
The law and real life are often at odds and this is a case in point. The courts are faced with many cases where a woman reports that a man has raped her, only to see her retract the story when the matter comes up for trial.
The common tale is that the couple had been in a spat and that something happened, but they have now made up.
So, what use is the law in the face of a social situation where women do not believe they have been raped if their regular partner has overridden their wishes? Not much. And there are those who will contend that if a woman does not feel that she has been raped, then who is some rights activist to tell her that she has been violated?
It is a rather precarious situation, made even more complex by the unique nature of relationships; each one is different and there is no blanket solution.
One thing is certain, though; with celebrity culture the order of the day, this situation with Mrs. Marley, even decades after, is sure to ignite well needed debate.
