If she goes to someone to tell or for help, she is usually not believed. In most cases, she would be punished for making such accusations, and if the accusations were false, the consequence is death. This sort of action and persecution takes place in respect to the women of Pakistan, Iran, and other countries. For example, in Pakistan, women can be raped and then be the one who is accused of committing an immoral crime. Unless there is full proof that there was no consent, the man will get off free. The woman will be charged with pre-marital sex and be sentenced to a prison term. In some countries, the police have the right, without any circumstances, to torture and rape innocent women for unnecessary reasons. .
The women of the Republic of Gilead belong to the men and were seen as material items. They were seen as property with one reason for living, not human beings with feelings. For example, in the countries I stated above, the women belong to their husbands. The husband can tell his wife what to do and order her around like she is his slave. If the woman doesn't obey the requests and orders, he legally has the right to do what he wants to his wife. She has absolutely no control over her life. Which leads to the one and only reason for the handmaids" lives. They are there to reproduce babies. Usually, we would say "reproduce children," but once that baby is born, it no longer belongs to the handmaid. These babies are passed over to the Commander's wife. Therefore, I would not consider the baby a child of the handmaid. There is another twist in this idea of reproducing. The babies must be perfect, if not they will be killed. Almost two-thirds of the babies are killed because of imperfections. In countries of today, many babies" lives are taken due to defects or because they are just not wanted. Many developing countries have restrictions and rules families must follow and one of them being how many children each family can support.
