Solution Essay: What Makes People Want To Rape?

What is it that makes people want to rape? What does the rapist get out of it? Do they like to see the person in pain, the fear in the victim’s eyes, the screams, to see the victim cry and beg? No-one will ever know the answers to these questions. Rape is a serious crime that needs to be spoken about more. A lot of victims do not report or speak about the incident. Society sees rape and sexual abuse as a taboo subject and it makes people very uncomfortable when mentioned or talked about, especially women who have dealt with this crime.

Rape is defined as nonconsensual oral, anal, or vaginal penetration. It is also a form of sexual abuse. There are three main types of rapes, anger, power, and sadistic. Anger rape is when the offender expresses hatred towards the victim and rage. Even if the victim did not cause the anger, the offender needs to take it out on someone and make them suffer just like he/she has. Power rape is a type of rape when the offender wants to feel

powerful and wants to dominate the victim. The offender fantasizes the victim wanting him or her, yet resists when approached but consents to sex later on. When the fantasy does not play out the way the offender imagined or the victim does not cooperate, he asserts his dominance over that person. Sadistic rape is when the offender is obsessed with inflicting pain on to the victim. The pain may be caused by mutilation, torture, or some type of role play. The rapist may use some type of instrument or foreign object to penetrate his or her victim. Other types of rape include, marital, stranger, and acquaintance rape.
Our society likes to think the offender is a stranger who has no connection or knowledge to his/her victim. However, statistics prove that 4 out of 5 rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. Additionally, 82% of the time, the offender is a non-stranger and 47% of the time, the offender is a friend or an acquaintance. Most reports by victims say that the incident happened within 1 mile of their home, but it can also take place in a school, home of a friend, neighbor or relative, or even in a public place such as a parking lot or park. It is really sad to think that someone who should put the victim’s emotional and physical needs first, is actually stripping the victim of their dignity. Remember, victims of rape are not gender specific. Many people like to think a woman may deserve what happens just because of the way she dresses or acts. Men can be raped as well, there are just more underreported cases than womens cases.
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) Organization, there are 293,066 reports of sexual assault and rape every year, which comes out to 1 sexual assault every 107 seconds. Statistics show that 1 out of every 6 American women will be the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime compared to 1 out of every 33 American men that will suffer the same fate. Children also experience sexual assault and it has been shown that 15% of reported cases are under the age of 12. 7% of victims are girls in grades 5-8 and 3% victims are boys in grades 5-8. Every 8 minutes, Child Protective Service responds to a report of sexual abuse.
Victims will experience many effects from rape as it varies from person to person.

Physical, emotional or psychological. Physical is bruising, bleeding (vaginal or anal), difficulty walking, soreness, broken or dislocated bones. Prolonged physical effect can also happen such as a sexually transmitted disease. Emotional effects may include the way the victim changes the way he/she trusts someone, blames herself and gets angry, is in shock, feels the loss of control, or withdraws from friends and families. Psychologically the victim can develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), become depressed or may dissociate from world (feels like checking out). No matter what the victim should always seek out medical attention. As a medical assistant I would be present, listen, and talk to the victim without judgment. It is my duty to encourage the victim to get support from family and friends. There are so many resources for victims such as websites, hotlines, books, pamphlets, and group therapy

centers.
With so many resources in our country that victims could turn to, there are still victims who refuse to report their offender either due to embarrassment or fear. Society needs to take action and raise awareness so the victim can confront their attackers; where they can be put behind bars where they belong. The more people educate themselves about issues in our world instead of judging or ignoring, the more people will want to come forward.