Sexual Assault Or Rape

     There are two sides to a rape, the rapist and the victim. The victim is most of the time a woman but men are raped as well. It is a common myth that there is a type of woman that is more likely to be raped. This is indeed a myth, most of the time rape is a crime of opportunity, the victim is not chosen because of her looks or behavior, but because she is there (Benedict 2). The average rape victim is 18-39 years old and female, the average rapist is 25 years old and male. The effect of rape on a woman is an enormous one. The woman will come away from a rape with both physical and psychological damage. Eventually the physical wounds will heal, the psychological wounds will take quite some time before or if they ever heal (Grady 4). A sexual assault robs the woman of a sense of control; a feeling of loss of freedom is common among rape victims. To put her life in order she must regain this sense of control. Almost all rape victims suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (Benedict 2). The first symptom is the reliving or re-experiencing of the

others, also you think about the tragedy every night and day. From personal experience, I have

Rape is a despicable crime that some can’t be forgiven or forgotten. Rape is an act of sexual violence towards another human being without their consents. It’s not only if you have their consent, they also have to be old enough. Rape will give you the consequences of going to jail. Doing so will affect the person that has committed it and the person that has been violated.

Victims of sexual violence is the first population we will discuss. “On average, there are 321,500 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States” (Rain.org, “Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics,” 2016, para. 1). Criminal justice professionals will encounter rape victims and sexual assault victims. Police officers have the duty of charging and arresting the perpetrator and getting the persons assaulted to safety. Victims of rape and sexual assault have to

Fact: Many survivors experience tonic immobility or a “freeze response” during an assault where they physically cannot move or speak. Myth: A lot of victims lie about being raped or give false reports. Fact: Only 2-8% of rapes are falsely reported, the same percentage as for other felonies. Myth: A person cannot sexually assault their partner or spouse. Fact: Nearly 1 in 10 women have experienced rape by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Myth: Sexual assaults most often occur in public or outdoors. Fact: 55% of rape or sexual assault victimizations occur at or near the victim’s home, and 12% occur at or near the home of a friend, relative, or acquaintance. Myth: Rape does not happen that often. Fact: There is an average of 293,066 victims ages 12 or older of rape and sexual assault each year in the U.S. This means 1 sexual assault occurs every 107 seconds. Myth: People that have been sexually assaulted will be hysterical and crying. Fact: Everyone responds differently to trauma- some may laugh, some may cry, and others will not show any emotions. (Myths and Facts 1)

The definition of sexual assault, per the American Psychological Association, is “unwanted sexual activity, with perpetrators using force, making threats or taking advantage of victims not able to give consent.” (Encyclopedia of Psychology, 2016) Sexual assault is used as an attempt to gain power over victims, instead of sexual gratification. Sexual Assault can and has happened in many different types of

Sexual violence is a significant social and cultural problem within America and all over the world. Within the United States nearly 1 in 5 women – or nearly 22 million – have been raped in their lifetimes. Arrest rates for sexual assault cases are low as they are hard to investigate because of the effects of the trauma itself. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, approximately 12% of the 283,200 annual rape or sexual assault victimizations from year 2005-2010 resulted in an arrest at the scene or during a follow-up investigation. Findings from the same survey revealed that more than one-third of women reported experiencing a sexual assault at some point during their lifetime. Within American society, rape constitutes an experience

According to RAINN, “Every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted.” That being said within the course of a year, 321,500 are victims of sexual violence. Ages 13-34 remain at the highest risk of sexual assault and 90% of them are victimized females. Take a second to think back to the age of thirteen, imagine how life would differ knowing how sexual assault affects someone. People who have been raped or sexually assaulted suffer serious physical and/or psychological consequences: psychological effects, physical changes and PTSD.

Women, girls, men, and boys are vulnerable victims of sexual assaults every day in our country. While females experience much higher rates of sexual assaults than males. The problem that this country faces is the lack of being able to track rapist, in addition to the victims that chose not to report their assault of being raped to the police. Issues of under reporting comes from the victims with multiple reasons that hinders them from reporting these heinous criminal acts. Thus, the sad realization is that the perpetrator is usually some one that you know, that you would of never of thought that they could and would, and do sexually assault you.

Sexual assault and rape has always been a social and public issue in the United States. A majority of the time, women become the victims, while men become the perpetrators. National surveys in the United States show that one in six women has experienced an attempted or completed rape. Consent appears to be a critical factor in determining whether assault or rape has taken place. Women have a higher chance of being raped by who they are acquainted with rather than strangers.

National Institute of Justice: Rape and Sexual Violence: A brief overview of rape, sexual violence, and what victims can do to stay informed about their legal options.

p. 69).” rape is violence against women. It is a violation of her body and her trust. According to Burns, a sociologist at Michigan State University, “rape is forced and unwanted intercourse, where sexual assault is used as a power and sex is a method (Mousseau, 2006. p. 1).” Most rapes are committed not by strangers, but by men known to women, perhaps someone they have gone out with or are supposedly their friends. It can be someone she just met or even her fiancé, but often it is an attempt to assert power or anger. A study by the National Center for the Preventive and Control rape claims ninety percent of rapes are never reported. In those that are reported, sixty percent knew their assailants. Of these, women fifteen to twenty-five are majority of the victims. Alcohol and drugs sometimes play a significant factor, especially in date rape or acquaintance rape cases (Mousseau, 2006).

Last but definitely not least is pregnancy. The national rape-related pregnancy is 5.0% per rape among victims of reproductive age (ages 12-45): among adult women an estimated 32,101 pregnancies result from rape each year. Among 34 cases of rape-related pregnancy, the majority occurred among adolescents and resulted from assault by a known, often related perpetrator. Only 11.7% of these victims received immediate medical attention after the assault, and 47.1% received no medical attention related to the rape. A total of 32.4% of these victims didn’t discover they were pregnant until they had already entered the second trimester, 32.2% opted to keep the infant whereas 50% underwent abortion and 5.9% placed the infant for adoption; an additional

Many victims refuse to report or seek help after a rape because they are scared of what their family, friends, or society will think of them. Often

     “Rape is a crime that combines sex and violence, that makes sex the weapon in an act of violence.”(Kimmel 257) Because of this, rape is often traumatic for the victim of a rape.