The Culture of Sexual Assault as Reflected in the 1970s Rape Law Reforms

Have you ever wondered what Statutory Rape really is? It is sexual intercourse with a minor. In humbler terms it is when a male adult 18 years or older has sexual intercourse with a female who is 17 years old or younger without consent. The issue that I have seen arise a great deal of the time is that the laws in most states are sexually biased when it comes to an adult male and an underage female. In this essay I want to specifically focus on the State of North Carolina, being that I live in this state.

The perspective offered by such longitudinal data sheds remarkable light on the "problem" of statutory rape, identifying for us key markers, as well as key actors, in the history of the law's enforcement and helping us to understand their roles in constructing the meaning of this crime over successive generations. ... The statutory rape codes have been used at various times to reinforce fathers' interests in their daughters' marriageability, to protect young women's chastity from seductive men, to control promiscuous or disease-laden adolescent females, to enhance child support collection efforts, to reduce teenage pregnancy, and to identify and punish sexual exploitation of teenagers. ... Given the constant state of jockeying, compromise and

Subsequently overtime laws regarding the issue of sexual assault have altered to address society 's different social values. As such the definition of sexual assault has changed and what constitutes as a sexual act now has been more widely broadened and explored so that it doesn’t have to involve vaginal penetration and that it could encompass anything being penetrated in any location on the body as seen in the Crimes Act 1900 NSW 61H(1). Additionally, gender laws regarding who could be involved in sexual assault previous to the amendment of the law to Balancing the Scales: Rape, Law Reform and Australian Culture (1998) defined rape or sexual assault as a man being the perpetrator against a woman described to be a victim however since the new amendment gender neutral laws regarding this issue enable the society to be treated more equally and fairly.

There are many different types of rape/ Sexual assault. One type is Rape in the second degree. Rape in the second degree can be defined in court as the actor(rapist) is sixteen years old or older and the other person(victim) is less than sixteen but older than twelve but is at least two years younger than the actor or it can be defined as Sexual Intercourse with a member of the opposite sex and the other person is incapable of consent by reason of being mentally defective(The laws in your state). There is also rape in the first degree. It is defined by the court as Sexual intercourse with a member of the opposite

Rape, a term that is defined differently in every nation and among each jurisdiction. However, there is one single concept that holds true throughout each definition- rape is the absence of the will and consent of the victim. Consent is the driver to determine whether the sexual act is one of no legal concern or a criminal offense (Aggrawal, 2009, p. 201). There are five broad themes utilized to constitute an offense of rape. The first is the absence of will without any force, fraud or coercion. Secondly, the use of fraud or deception securing sexual compliance is outlawed. The third theme involves physical force or coercion. Fourthly, addresses groups of potential offenders who abuse positions of trust and have access to vulnerable

It is not unexpected that we as a society do not want to recognize that assault and sexual brutality is standard. This is no surprise because most of us would rather believe that the terrible realities we hear about are not real or that, at least, we cannot do anything about it. The fact of the matter is, the acceptance of rape as normal is terrible. Be that as it may, by denying its existence, we keep on allowing attackers to go unpunished and leave survivors hushed. Rape culture is a giant issue; however, in the event that we focus on tending to each of these parts, we can move even closer to eradicating rape culture.

In the time, it has probably taken you to read this sentence another person has fallen victim to sexual assault. An issue that has gained much attention in the last couple decades, sexual assault has many forms. Defined as any type of sexual contact or behavior that can occur without the explicit consent of the recipient, sexual assault may come in the form of rape, forced sodomy, forcible object penetration, marital rape, unwanted sexual touching, sexual contact with minors, incest, and any unwanted or coerced sexual contact (in text citation). In this paper, assessments will be made of the impact sexual assault has on society, and the different perceptions that arise due to gender. Attempts will be made to analyze the resources available

One of the greatest issues, by far, with our society today is the struggle with consensual sex, and what the boundaries for sexual relations between a male and a female are. What exactly is sexual consent and should it be given before not only sex involving penetration, but so many other kinds of sensual scenarios, too. In the Journal of Sex Research, the authors experiment with the parameters of sexual assault and give it a rather straightforward definition. Sexual assault is the nonconsensual sexual activity obtained through

These feelings can extend from the feeling of personal safety, pride, and control over their own body. They force a person to participate in an intimate act. They force this person to be traumatized for the rest of their lives. A person who experiences a sexual assault is left with emotions of devastation, anger, and fear. The United States of America ranks #13 on a list of where rape happens the most. Rape is clearly prevalent and the reason why it continues to happen is primarily because of rape culture. As a society we don’t take notice in rape as much as we should. This can be prevented at an early age but clearly parents haven’t taught their why consent is important and that alone says something about a way we live when it comes to the topic of rape. Consent is important to any act but is a huge part to how rape can be prevented. The simple knowledge of understanding and accepting a person choice in what they want or don’t want can prevent rape

Over time, the media has made society more and more aware that sexual assault and harassment are major problems, but how come there is not much being done about it? From suspending a student rapist for only one day to completely ignoring the case altogether, this problem has grown out of control. Sexual assault is defined as unwanted sexual contact or threats, and includes physical penetration and other non consensual forms of sexual contact. Not only does rape culture include physical abuse, but verbal abuse as well. Rape culture, such as victim blaming, tolerance for such behaviors, and verbal sexual harassment affect men and women every day, and as a society, we must stop it.

The nation marital rape consent is contrary to the consent that is interpreted and applied areas of law. The law does not allow a person to consent to serious bodily injury inflicted by another. The law only gives implied consent to injuries arising out of situation involving a potential harm, if for instance a particular situation was voluntarily entered the laws does not imply consent to the malicious infliction of serious injury. A woman for example gives consent when she agrees to the act of rape comes in when it is violent desecration of the victims person and impute consent on the part of the victim exceeds the bounds of law of consent.

Statutory rape describes sexual activity where one participating party is below the age of consent to engage in the sexual conduct. The term usually refers to adults engaging in sexual activities with minors under the age of consent; however, only a handful of jurisdictions recognize the actual words "statutory rape" in its legal code. Statutory rape differs from forcible rape because imposed force or threat is not present during the sexual acts. However, the laws presume that adult coerced the minor into having sex because a minor or mentally challenged are unsuitable to make their own decisions, according to the courts. Statutory rape differs from "child molestation," which is typically treated as a far more severe crime.

How the media covers sexual assaults creates serious implications for how society responds to sexual assault. Because individuals both receive and interpret knowledge from the media, the messages media shape help the public create informed opinions on social issues. Due to society taking mainstream news coverage to be objective and truthful, the messages society learns from news coverage of sexual assault have serious effects on survivors. These effects include how likely a survivor is to come forward with his or her assault, what people’s attitudes are about sexual assault and how the public

Media plays a big role in normalizing assault, along with our society’s perception of rape and its victims. According to a report by the Marshall University Women’s Center, “Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. The same report then makes the statement that rape culture is,” perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objection of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence thereby creating a society disregards women’s rights and safety.”

Social injustice happens daily around the world and it is all around us. As soon as we turn on the news in the morning or check our social media we see something new every day that continues to surprise us. Elders relentlessly insist that our world is becoming a terrifying place to live as is just now speaking up on the pressing, severe, and crucial issue that millions of people deal with daily. Sexual assault in our society today is a punch line that most consider comical. We do not take it seriously in the least bit due to the simple fact that generations before ours have made it that way. Sexual assault is the most unreported violent crime in the United States. Only 11% of rapes are reported on campuses because most victims believe their allegations are not serious enough to report (Staying Safe on Campus). Not only do women face sexual assault but 1 out of 50 men do too. In this proposal argument, I will be addressing the following issues that have caused this crime to become a societal norm today; the classification of sexual assault, the media portrayal that follows every sexual accusation, the burdens of recent cases, and how we can raise awareness to reach as many people we possibly can. Sexual assault is not only an issue in today’s society, but a social issue that almost every person faces at least once in their life. If we, as a race, can seek to change these criminal acts, we can stop the main stream portrayal of sexual assault in the media to become more aware