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Marital Rape Is A Serious Form Of Intimate Violence

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Marital rape is a very serious form of intimate violence. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the definition for marital rape is defined as, “sexual intercourse forced on a women by her husband, knowingly against her will.” (Oxford University Press). However, the legal definition varies from state to next; marital rape is commonly defined as unwanted penetration or intercourse (oral, anal, or vaginal) taken by force and/or threat of force when a wife does not give consent (Roberts and Roberts). Research on the topic of marital rape has generally included couples who are separated, legally married, divorces, or have been involved in long-term relationships.
It has been estimated that between 7-25% of married women have experienced rape in their marital relationships at least once (Munge, Pomerantz and Pettibone). Rape by one’s intimate partner is actually one of the most common types of sexual assault. Women who are assaulted by their partners may be at particularly high risk for sexual violence (Munge, Pomerantz and Pettibone).
Marital raped victims have not received the support for prosecuting this abuse. Previously in the United States, the act of forcing one’s wife to have intercourse was not defined as “rape”. It was defined as “the forcible penetration of the body of a woman, not the wife of the perpetrator.” (McMahon-Howard, Clay-Warner and Renzulli). By this definition, husbands were exempt from being prosecuted for forcing their wives to have sexual

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