Victims of Rape

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Rape is a form of victimization that is highly underreported. The crime of rape has been denied throughout the ages. Women were believed to secretly desire the prospect of being raped. In addition, there was even the belief that rape was not possible (Pilkington, 2011, Lecture Unit 4). In some ways, this denial of rape has continued within our society. Denial about victimization has only added to the negative feelings rape victims have and why they choose to let their victimization go unreported. Not only do rape victims suffer due to their victimization but they also face the possibility of being scrutinized for “lying,” even when the victim is telling the truth. The fact that individuals have lied about being raped and the fact that such claims gain the attention of the media has stigmatized that way of thinking. To put it bluntly, all individuals who claim rape are viewed as liars, which is obviously not true. In turn, it makes it very difficult for rape victims to come forward about their victimization out of fear of scrutiny and humiliation.

Rape is broken down into different types but there is a general definition to describe what rape entails. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, rape is defined as “forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion as well as physical force” (Stuart von Wormer & Bartollas, 2011, p. 194). The definition is meant to encompass all forms of sexual intercourse (vaginal, anal, and oral) and includes instances where a foreign object was used for penetration. In addition, the use of drugs or alcohol is seen as a form of coercion because it has the ability to make an individual mentally defective or unconscious. Thus, there use makes a situation be...

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...008). Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/SV-DataSheet-a.pdf

Stuart Van Wormer, K. & Bartollas, C. (2011). Women and the criminal justice system, Third Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Types of rape. (2003). Retrieved from http://ualr.edu/jlfleming/Rapepg2.htm

Types of Rape. (2011). Retrieved from Crisis Intervention Center: http://www.crisisinterventioncenter.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=71:types-of-rape&catid=37:sexual-assault&Itemid=77

Whitaker, D. J. (2007). Introduction to preventing intimate partner violence and sexual violence in racial and ethnic minority populations. In Preventing Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence in Racial/Ethnic Minority Communities (pp. 9 - 22). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/dvp/Preventing_IPV_SV.pdf

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