...Rape: A Modern Crime RAPE: A MODERN CRIME The definition of forcible rape was established in the 1920s and has remained relatively unchanged since that time. According to the FBIs website, rape is narrowly defined as “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” While the FBIs Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) shows that rape statistics have dropped from 2002 to 2010, it’s difficult to verify if these statistics are accurate. There are two major factors that skew the statistics for reported rape cases. First, rape often goes unreported by victims due to embarrassment or fear of reprisal by the perpetrator(s). Secondly, the narrow definition of rape excludes the number of cases reported by would be victims. Fortunately, the definition of rape was revamped in 2012 and has broadened the reporting criteria for this terrible crime. Changes include the perpetrator gender, physical resistance and the instances in which the victim is incapable of giving consent (Affairs, 2012). These changes will undoubtedly change the number of reported rapes committed and impact crime statistics greatly. It was just another ordinary summer day on July 6, 2011 in Stafford, Virginia. The sun was shining, birds sang their songs and children could be hear playing about. For one woman, this ordinary day would turn into...
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...Rape in the United States and India One in five women worldwide might be a victim of rape or got raped in her lifetime (The United Nations, n.d.). According to Rape Gordon & Riger (1989), women fear rape more than any other crime, numerus number of women and girls worldwide suffer from sexual violence and rape. The word rape came from a Latin word “rapere”, which means to steal, seize, or carry away (Polly, 2006). Rape has always been linked to violence, it is a type of sexual assault using violence or the threat of it to force sexual intercourse or other types of sexual penetration perpetrated upon a persons will, it does not discriminate against age, race, ethnicity, or gender so males are not excluded but it is usually a women. However, the definitions of rape vary and the definition has changed frequently over the past 30 years, mostly after the feminist movement (Chasteen, 2001). Ever since the colonial period, the way sexual assault and women’s sexuality is seen have changed dramatically. Back then, women or girls held the reputation of their families, as they were seen as the center of the family and were valued and respected for their sexual purity. If a woman had sex outside of marriage, willing to or even against her will, she was seen and a fallen woman that brought shame and was often blamed for her own victimization because sexual intercourse was acceptable only within marriage (Patrica & John, 1992). With the 1960’s feminist movement people have been...
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...Rape & Rape Trauma Syndrome Dictionaries most commonly define rape as a sexual act committed by force especially on a woman. (The American Heritage College Dictionary. 1997 pg. 740) Until a few years ago it was limited to penial penetration of the vagina. Penal Code 261 defines rape as an act of sexual intercourse accomplished with a person not the spouse of the perpetrator without the lawful consent.(Roberson, 1998, p. 188) Penal Code 263 goes on to say that the fundamental wrong at which the law of rape is aimed is . . . the violation of a woman's will and sexuality. (Roberson, 1998, p. 190) All other sexual assaults are classified under varied names, yet the aftermath is usually the same. Rape is one of the cruelest forms of criminal violence. The victim suffers a profound injury. Rendered powerless by physical force, threats, or fear, after which being forced to submit to sexual acts, including vaginal penetration, oral copulation, sodomy, and penetration opening with a foreign object, the victim is left virtually alone. Rape is an intrusion into the most private and intimate parts of the body, as well as an assault on the core of the self. Despite whether the victim suffers any physical trauma, the psychological impact of a sexual assault is severe. Moreover, the painful, post-trauma symptoms that result from rape are long-lasting. Even those victims who appear to have recovered months or years later often find that an overwhelming sense of powerlessness and vulnerability...
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...Kia Andrews February 25, 2012 CJ 3345-XTIB 12/T3 Mrs. Kappeler Rape and the Different Types According to Siegel (2012), Under traditional common-law definitions, rape involves nonconsensual sexual intercourse that a male performs against a female he is neither married to nor cohabitating with. Rape is a major problem that many of us Americans are facing today. (p.339) There are so many people today whose lives are changed forever because of being raped. We have to protect ourselves and loved ones from being one of those victims. There have been many ways to try and stop the victims from becoming victims, but it is still going on in today’s society. Some of the types of rape range from gang, serial, date, acquaintance, statutory, and marital. They differ in how, who, and when the victim is being raped. In this paper I am going to be explaining what is rape and the different types that are found in today’s criminal justice system. Rape started back in the Middle Ages where it was common from men to find women to take and rape them. According to Siegel (2012), During the Middle Ages, it was common for ambitious men to abduct and rape wealthy women in an effort to force them into marriage.(p.339) Rape is not only when a man rapes a women, but it can be a man over a man or women over man or another woman. As time passed from the Middle Ages, rape has affected many people in the world. There are many laws that are out now to protect...
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... Alcohol and Rape on College Campuses Statement of Interest Many studies look at rape and alcohol on college campuses separately, while others look at the effect that alcohol has on rape. It is estimated that one fifth to one fourth of all women experience a completed or attempted rape during their four to five year college career (McMahon 2010). Too many women are victimized on a daily basis on college campuses, a place people go to better themselves, all while believing they are safe. Reality is, rape can happen to any woman, at any time, on any campus. There are classes given on almost every campus about to how women should protect themselves from violent acts such as rape, but how many women actually attend? What are women’s actual perceptions on rape on campus? Are women aware of the risk of rape on campus? What effects does alcohol have on the chance of committing a rape, and what effects does it have on the probability of getting raped? The objective of the paper is to find out how much women really know about the chances of getting raped, the proper way to protect their selves from getting raped, and what effect drinking can have on rape. Literature Search on Galileo While conducting research for this project, EBSCOhost and ProQuest were used. Both databases were had many articles and journals pertaining to alcohol and rape on college campuses. The first database used through Galileo was EBSCOhost. When using EBSCOhost the phase “Alcohol and Rape on Colleges Campuses”...
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...Rape Why Fight It Just Remain Alive Abstract As I awoken with a knife to my throat I felt very confused, frightened and alarmed. I was unaware of what was taking place until I heard a faint whisper warning me not to move or scream or I would soon meet my fate. I gently felt his hands caressing all over my body violating my most intimate parts. I suddenly rose up in disarray, as he began to burrow the knife deeper within my throat. At that moment I just relaxed to allow him to do as he pleases. I thought to myself that I just need to get through this, besides why fight it; I need to remain alive. According to Wikipedia “Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person’s consent,(2011),. A person who commits an act of rape is known as a rapist. The Act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of a valid consent”. Statistics show that the vast majority of women are more prone to be raped than males, with 99% of the offenders being males. Statistics states that women are more likely to be hospitalized or worse during a violent attack by their male counterpart. Without a reliable plan or proper self-defense class training, if the rape victim chooses to fight they will more and likely end up severely injured or dead. Women are not built to fight a man,...
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...Rape Culture A thesis statement Culture, which is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “the beliefs and customs of a particular society, place, or time”, is vital to society, but some cultural patterns are destructive. The words of Susan Griffin, “I have never been free from the fear of rape”, reflect what is today known as rape culture. Rape culture describes a culture wherein rape is prevalent and normalized. The term was first used in the 1970’s, when feminists were trying to raise awareness about rape. Rape culture practices victim-blaming and denies the occurrence of men being raped. It can be a form of discrimination as it trivializes rape depending on the gender, age, race, and religion of both suspect and victim. One of the impacts of rape culture is that it greatly influences rape cases. Legally, rape is defined as sexual intercourse by a male and female, other than his wife/husband, without the consent of the person and is effected by force, intimidation, or deception as to the nature of the act (Herman 1984). This makes it very difficult for wives who have sexually abusive husbands and vice versa and for male and some victims to prove that a crime happened. Due to this, some countries abandoned the term “rape” for ‘sexual assault’, ‘sexual intercourse without consent’, and ‘criminal sexual conduct’ to address the crime easier. Many in today’s society deny the existence of rape culture in the country because of the low statistics. However, rape...
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...Marital Rape By Amy Hoekwater December 21, 2012 AMU/CMRJ306 Prof. Natasha Richardson After murder, alone in the United States of America, the prevalence of rape is happened to be second crime that every two minutes sexual harassment case is reported. The most consistent and trustworthy study on the crime was conducted by the US Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization. The study highlights that during the year 2007, about 248,300 sexual harassment cases reported. In the United States, there are various definitions have been drafted to describe the act since it is regarded as a most complicated topic. The spousal rape is characterized as non-consensual and unwanted sex by victims’ spouse, when women surrender due to force or threat or when she don’t want to cohabit (Bergen,1996; Pagelow, 1984; Russell, 1990) According to the findings of the researcher, mostly married women were the victims of force-only sex. The ratio ranges between 10% and 14% (Finkelhor & Yllo, 1985; Russell, 1990). This crime ignored by law, practitioner, social scientists, criminal justice organism and by society too. By 1970, emerged as society and started recognizing that in marital relation rape cold also happen. With the development of time and maturity of law, legal community thought to start or compile work on this significant topic since it is said that wives since taken as personal asset of the husband and that husbands has right to have criminalized rape in marriage...
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...“Date Rape” is a harsh and cruel reality in today’s world. Date rape is assertion of power and an attempt to control. The concept of domination and submission is used to describe this harness act. It is a violation of trust and violation of the victim’s body. It causes lifelong emotional scars to the victim. Commonly, date rape is referring to drug-facilitated sexual assault and/or acquaintance rape. Usually date rape is not committed by anonymous people , it can happen after a first date or even years after dating the person. Majority of date rape is committed by men yet 81 per cent of men are raped by other men. 90 per cent of teen are usually acquainted with their attacker. One in every four women are victims of date rape, between the ages of 15 -25 years. One of every twelve mean force women to have sex with them. Unfortunately 90 % of date rape cases are not reported. The question one always askes is what has caused this epidemic. Reasons such traditional socialization of the genders , the introduction of drugs and alcohol, lack of communication between the parties which includes body language and messages sent between men and women. The socialization process of men greatly affects their personality when they are adults and can also give us a guideline to the type of person he would be in a relationship. Traditional male socialization has conformed male’s to be very aggressive , competitive and to have a “never give up” attitude. Males who have been...
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...Annotated Bibliography I am working on the study of date rape because I want to find out why it happens and what can be done to prevent it. Date rape happen every two seconds in North America. It can happen between friends, loved ones, or even a complete stranger. Some people are educated to what rape is, but there are still others who may not know everything. "Date Rape's Other Victim." The New York Times. The New York Times, 12 June 1993. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. In this article the author states, “Many women who say yes to men they know, whether on dates or on the job, would say no if they could… Women’s silence sometimes is the product not of a passion and desire but of pressure and fear.” Women are often unwilling participants, they say yes because they are afraid to say no. Some men have an intimating factor that makes women feel vulnerable and defenseless. Women sometimes have trouble communicating what they want or do not want. Most men go after the woman who he knows will be afraid and timid. "Listening, Talking to Your Partner Can Prevent Date Rape." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 23. Aug. 1999. Web. 6 Oct. 2015. This article give tips about the prevention of date rape. The woman, or man, should be confident in his or her answer when saying no. The victim must be clear when sending the message of consent or non-consent. Also, when he or she is incapable of giving a clear message for whatever reason, the other person should not be taken advantage...
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...Rape Culture Views: Attitudes and Practices in our Society that Normalize or Excuse Rape. Brianna Burke Sociology of Women Dr. King June, 20, 2013 Abstract Rape Culture views are based on attitudes and practices in our society that normalize or excuse rape. Society excuses rape because it has come to the belief that sex is an act of male domination and female submission. Although we have laws against rape they do not appear to be a main focus point. Society seems to minimalizes rape to the point of not caring, in some cases making the victims seem to be at fault. Because it seems that the repercussions of the rapist are not as tough as they should be, rapists repeat their actions without fear of severe punishment. The average sentence for convicted rapists was 11.8 years, while the actual time served was 5.4 years. In the US because of our rape culture, rape in the military became a major problem in recent years, even up until this problem was publicized. When first brought into the public’s eye the military didn’t seem to be taking rape seriously. Rape is not just a nightmare for military women but for men as well. Rape seems to be more main stream than some might think. Society more often than not are blaming the victims, the proof is in a recent 12-minute video of young men in Steubenville, Ohio, joking about the brutal, extended gang rape of a 16-year-old girl. According to one study of 16,000 Americans, 17.6% of women report having been victims of rape or...
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...The Impact of Acquaintance Rape for Female College Students Word Count: 3,027 Abstract Acquaintance rape, commonly referred to as "date rape," is sweeping across college campuses throughout the United States. Described as nonconsensual sexual contact achieved by force, manipulation or coercion between two people who know each other, it is a form of sexual violence that had been given little attention prior to the 1980’s. Recent studies indicate that one in four female college students will be the victim of acquaintance rape at some time during four years of college making it the fastest growing crime against females in college institutions. However, because there are widespread false impressions among all college students that acquaintance rape does not exist, is not “really rape” or is not a serious crime, many believe that it is not as traumatic to the victim as rape by someone unknown to them. These erroneous beliefs often leave the victims of acquaintance rape more devastated than the rape action itself. The purpose of this paper is to examine the facts surrounding female acquaintance rape on college campuses and the role that crisis intervention techniques play in the recovery from an experience that many experts describe as crippling. The Impact of Acquaintance Rape for Female College Students Every two minutes someone in the United States is raped, and the chance of the victim being a female college student is four times greater than that of any...
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...Rape is such a traumatic life event from which many victims never fully recover. Dr. Resick explains that “many victims develop problems with depression, poor self-esteem, interpersonal difficulties, and sexual dysfunctions” (4). Even though rape is a life-threatening attack, most cases go unreported. The psychological aftermath of a rape victim is something that is hard to understand when not experienced. It is important for one to learn how to address such psychological issues, because it is shocking how often rape crimes occur. Rape is an act of sexual intercourse by force against a person’s will. The use of force is key in the determining of a rape crime. By using such force, the predator can claim to feel powerful and in control. “Control is a constant and dominant factor in the overwhelming preponderance of sex offenses, regardless of the type of act or the age of the victim” (Prendergast 33). The victim is ultimately left helpless and powerless. Often times the victim is faced with having to give cooperation for their survival. Even though the act of rape may only last minutes, the victim is left with nightmares, flashbacks, and intrusive memories of the experience. One might wonder why so many cases go unreported when the affects of rape on the victim are so traumatic and long-term. Reporting rates of rape vary from 5% to 9.5% (Resick 3). Many women do in fact have experiences that meet the legal definition of rape, yet they do not define themselves...
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...‘’Rape’’ a social problem that continues to occur daily and is seldom reported, the rape of a women and children is a violent and alarmingly common crime, often committed by men the victims know and trust A rapist can come from any race, social class or environment. For many years South Africa has been considered the rape capital of the world, some analysis’s tend to blame this scourge on our countries history of apartheid and violence. Over the years the precise definition of rape has varied and thus there is no single agreed definition of rape. In 2012, the FBI changed their definition from "The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will." to "The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object or by oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." The new South African law around rape came into effect in December 2007. This law is called the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act, No. 32 of 2007 and considers that males too can be victims of rape. Rape is an act of Sexual Penetration of a victim, without their consent. Rape occurs when * Someone inserts their genital organs into the mouth, anus or genital organs of a victim * Any part of someone’s body, such as a finger, goes into the anus or genital organs of the victim * Any object, like a stick or a bottle is put into the anus or genital organs of the victim * The genital organs of an animal are put...
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...ARGUMENTS AGAINST LAWS CRIMINALIZING MARITAL RAPE Marital rape is rape within a marriage, where consent to sexual intercourse is not given. According to Wikipedia, which defines it rather succinctly, “Marital rape, also known as spousal rape, is non-consensual sex in which the perpetrator is the victim’s spouse. As such, it is a form of partner rape, of domestic violence, and of sexual abuse. Once widely condoned or ignored by law, spousal rape is now repudiated by international conventions and increasingly criminalised. Still, in many countries, spousal rape either remains legal, or is illegal but widely tolerated and accepted as a spouse’s prerogative.” The root of the generic term “rape” can be traced from the latin term “Raptus”, which literally means “to seize” and in Roman law, it was used to imply violent theft, in relation to both property and person. Since, historically, a woman was also considered a property, rape was synonymous with abduction and a woman’s abduction or sexual molestation, was merely the theft of a woman against the consent of her guardian or those who had lawful custody of her person. The injury, ironically, was treated as a wrong against her father or husband, women being wholly owned subsidiaries. Such was the appalling status of women. Not surprisingly, thus, married women were never the subject of rape laws. A legal immunitywas bestowed upon husband in respect of his wife, sprouting solely and wholly by virtue of the marital cord. Section 375...
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