| Rape
is one of the most frequently committed violent
crimes and its incidence is steadily increasing.
Hand-in-hand with the rising incidence of sexual
assault is the rising fear among women of such
victimization. A study of perceptions of violent
crime among residents of Seattle, Washington,
reported that all women fear rape, especially
those under 35. They report that rape is a more
terrifying possibility to them than any other
crime including murder, assault, and robbery.
Such
fear is not necessarily misplaced. It is believed
that perhaps twice as many criminal sexual
assaults occur as are officially reported.
Also official tallies do not reflect the number
of deaths as a result of rape; these deaths
are reported as murders. Every single minute
in America, there are 1.3 forcible rapes of
adult women; 78 women are forcibly raped each
hour. Every day in America, 1,871 women are
forcibly raped, equating to 56,916 forcible
rapes every month. Every year in our country,
683,000 American women are forcibly raped.
Rape
Myths
Despite
the prevalence of sexual assault in the United
States, a number of misconceptions surround
this crime and its victims. Some of the most
common myths include:
1.
Rape is a crime of passion.
The
notion that the rapist is controlled by overwhelming
lust is far removed from the reality. Psychologists
have found that the motivation behind sexual
assault is most often the need to dominate
and control, rather than the inability to
control sexual urges. Rape is primarily an
act of power and aggression, with the sexual
aspects taking secondary role.
2.
Women who are careful don't get raped.
Rapes
occur in a variety of places and situations
during any hour of the day or night. According
to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 35 percent
of all rapes occur in or near a victim's home,
and there are incidences of rape in offices,
schools, and other work locations. While there
are certain preventative measures women can
take, even the most cautious women are not
perfectly safe.
3.
Rape is impossible if the woman really resists.
Most
victims resist sexual assault in some way,
but the rapist usually has the advantage of
surprise and strength. Physical force is used
in 85 percent of all reported rapes, and 25
percent of victims are threatened or attacked
with a dangerous weapon. In
addition to the sexual attack, more than half
who are physically assaulted, receive some
injury. Injury is more likely if the
victim resisted. (
4.
Women secretly want to be raped.
There
is a difference between romantic fantasy and
brutal, violent reality. There also is a difference
between the fundamental right of choice in
one's fantasy and the loss of control as a
victim of sexual assault.
5.
The rapist is usually a stranger.
Expert
opinions vary. According to the Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS), a woman is twice
as likely to be attacked by a stranger than
by someone she knows. However, sexual assault
by an acquaintance "date rape" is
a serious and largely unreported occurrence.
In a survey sponsored by the National Institute
of Mental Health (NIMH), 6,159 college students
at 32 schools nationwide were interviewed
and reported that 84 percent of the victims
of completed rapes knew the offender, most
often (66 percent) as a date. Of these victims,
95 percent did not report the crime to the
police. Similarly, the incidence of marital
rape, as a form of domestic violence, goes
largely unreported.
6.
Women invite rape by dressing or acting seductively.
There
is little correlation between physical attractiveness
and the likelihood of becoming a victim. To
believe that a woman "deserves"
to be raped is to say that a wealthy-looking
man "deserves" to be robbed.
7.
If rape is imminent, the woman should relax
and enjoy it.
This
may be a fatal belief, according to interviews
with murderers who sexually molested their
victims. These offenders report that the victim's
compliance or non-forceful resistance were
not deterrents to the murder, with survivors
being those who forcefully resisted. Even
in sexual assaults without homicidal intent,
it is unreasonable to expect a woman to enjoy
involuntary participation in a violent, terrifying
crime.
8.
Women "cry rape."
The
reality is that sexual assault is perhaps
one of the most under reported crimes in relation
to its actual incidence. BJS found that only
about half of the victims of rape or attempted
rape surveyed between 1973 and 1982 reported
the crime to the police. Various other surveys
also found that a vast number of sexual assaults
go unreported, with even higher percentages
of victims not reporting. In general, victims
of "classic" rape, i.e., violent
attack by a stranger, are more likely to report
the crime than women raped by men they know,
at home or in social settings. Thus, the notion
that "a woman scorned" will hurl
false rape accusations, considering the tendency
of victims not to report out of shame or despair,
is unlikely to be true.
(Source: US
Dept. of Justice) |
