Rape has long been considered as one of the worst of crimes, but for centuries it was handled without much care for the victim. It used to be thought of as more of a harm against the man, husband or father, instead of something against the woman. In the past, some rapists were punished severely while others were not. This typically depended a great deal on the social status of both the victim and the aggressor (Karmen, 2010). For example, in biblical times, a man could be sentenced to death for the rape of a virgin, but a married woman who was raped could be sentenced to death for enticing the rape. In medieval times, a man might steal a young woman from a wealthy family in order to force her to marry him and thus give him better status, and during the time of feudalism, only the rape of a noble woman was a crime (Karmen). In more recent years, however, things have begun to change. In the 1970s, the feminist movement began to draw attention to the plight of women who had been raped (Karmen, 2010). With the discovery of the victim’s plight, laws began to be put into place to help convict the offender and defend the victim. Today, rape is still a crime punished by death in some countries, and it is even scorned by other inmates within the walls of a prison (Macdonald, 1975). SYNTHESIS OF SCHOLARLY RESEARCH Like many crimes, rape has had a variety of legal definitions over the years. The word rape comes from the Latin word rapere means “to take by force.” An early English common law definition described rape as the unlawful carnal knowledge of a woman (Karmen, 2010). Another common definition, and the one used by the FBI for the Uniform Crime Report, is that rape is the carnal knowledge of a woman by force and without consent (M... ... middle of paper ... ...(1991). Counseling victims of violence. Alexandria, VA: American Association for Counseling and Development. Burgess, A. W., & Holmstrom, L. L. (1974). Rape: Victims of crisis. Bowie, MD: Robert J. Brady Company. Davis, R. C., Lurigio, A. J., & Skogan, W. G. (1997). Victims of crime (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications. Gilbert, N. (2003). The prevalence of rape has been exaggerated. In H. Cothran (Ed.), Sexual violence. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press. Gilmartin, P. (1994). Rape, incest, and child abuse: Consequences and recovery. New York, NY: Garland Publishing, Inc. Hursch, C. J. (1977). The trouble with rape. Chicago, IL: Nelson-Hall, Inc. Karmen, A. (2010). Crime victims: An introduction to victimology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cenage Learning. Macdonald, J. M. (1975). Rape: Offenders and their victims. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas.
Three rapes were reported in the 1983 in the state of Massachusetts. The first rape was reported on August 17, 1983 a women by the name of Marilyn Goss. She was raped by an intruder while she spent the night at the Casa Manor Motel in Ayer, Massachusetts (Stearns, 2006). On November 16, 1983 a woman was attacked while she was walking home in the city Lowell, MA. A man she did not know approached her, tried to converse with her, and then forced her into a nearby yard, where the man sexually assaulted her (Know the Cases: Dennis Maher). On November 17, 1983, about twenty four hours after the other attack in Lowell, MA, a different woman was harshly shoved to the ground by a man who produced a knife. The woman was luckily enough to escape the man after a struggle...
Rape is a virus that infects every nation, culture and society. It is constantly referred to as “the unfinished murder”, because of the deep state of despair the rapist leaves the victim in. There is no common identifiable trend that determines who will be a rape victim. Women are not assaulted because of their attitudes or actions, they are attacked simply because they are present. With rapists, just as with their victims, there is no identifiable trend. The old myth that only “sick, dirty, old, perverted men” commit rapes is a lie that society tells itself in order to sleep better at night. The startling truth is that most rapists work under a veil of normalcy. In order for the percentage of rapes to decrease, we have to change our ideas about rape and let go of the old myths of the past. And until this happens, rape will continue to plague our world at large.
RAINN, Rape Abuse & Incest National Network, has counselors on hand 24-hours a day, ready to assist survivors of rape, sexual vio...
Finkelhor, D., Hotaling, G., Lewis, I., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of
Many of the attitudes, beliefs, and mistaken ideas about rape have been with us for centuries. By looking at myths, such as “women ask for it,” and “it would do some women good to get raped,” from a historical perspective, lead us for better understanding how they evolved. Women are still seen as the property of men, are protected as such. Men and women are still taught to occupy very different roles in today’s world. Men are usually more aggressive, and women are seen as passive. (Vogelman) This socialization process is changing, but slowly.
Daly, Kathleen, Goldsmith, Andrew, and Israel, Mark. 2006, Crime and Justice: A guide to criminology, third addition, Thomson, Lawbook Co.
Bonnie, S. F., Francis, T. C., & Michael, G. T. (2000) The sexual victimization of college women. U.S. Department of Justice.
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Bureau of Justice Statistics. 1973–1997 National Crime Victimization Survey data [Web site data files]. Available Online at http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/ojstatbb/qa125.html. 30 September 1999. Washington, DC: BJS, 1998.
It is not a topic that is brought up often, especially at schools or at gatherings, yet it is crucial that everyone be educated, or at least informed on a topic that affects women every day. “Given that sexual violence continues to occur at high rates in the United States, it is vital that we understand attitudes and cultural norms that serve to minimize or foster tolerance of sexual violence” (Aosved, 481). Growing rates of sexual violence goes to prove that it is not taken seriously by many, especially when myths excuse the actions of the perpetrator and instead guilt victims into thinking they are responsible for the horrible act. Burt (1980), in her article titled, “Cultural myths and support for rape” attempts to make sense of the importance of stereotypes and myths, defined as prejudicial, stereotypes, or false beliefs about rape, rape victims and rapists- in creating a climate hostile to rape victims (Burt, 217). Examples of rape myths are such sayings as “only bad girls get raped”; “women ask for it”; “women cry rape” (Burt, 217). This only goes to prove that rape myths against women always blame and make it seem like it is the women’s fault she was raped and that she deserved it for “acting” a certain way. McMahon (2007), in her article titled, “Understanding community-specific rape myths” explains how Lonsway and Fitzgerald (1994) later described rape myths as “attitudes and beliefs that are generally
"Rape Myths." WAVAW Women Against Violence Against Women. Rape Crisis Centre, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.
Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.
Rape is defined “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.”(Siegel,352) . Rape is seen all throughout history and it is still happening today. It is believed that about 15 - 38 percent of rape are reported to officials, meaning about 85-62 percent of rapes go unreported. Most rape cases go unreported due to fear, guilt, and shame. About only 9 percent of rapes get prosecuted and only five percent of those lead to felony conviction; Only six percent of rapist will get a conviction( “Reporting Sexual..”).
The society we live in is rape-conducive, rape-friendly, if you will. Despite the anger I feel joining those two words together, I know the sad paradox holds within it a great deal of truth. We are a violent society that has shrouded rape in mystery and shame. To stop this nightmare’s venomous crusades, all people must wage a private war to eradicate their own acceptance of the savage crime. While it is only a minority of men that actually commit rape, it is everyone’s silence that tells them it’s ok.