The Victims Of The Victim

The stereotype of who a typical sexual assault victim is, is also detrimental to abide by as male victims of sexual assault will often fear being blamed and feel emasculated as a result of their victimisation. The continuation of stereotypic types of victims when considering a certain crime can often distort the seriousness of sexual

All statistics agree that rape and sexual assault rates are particularly high (Rape Crisis,2017). Worldwide, more than a million women raped every year (Holmes & Holmes, 2009:217). In England and Wales, almost 85.000 woman are raped every year and 500.000 sexually assaulted (Rape Crisis, 2017). The statistics shows that 1 in 5 women between the ages of 16 and 59 years of age, has experienced a form of sexual violence in her life (Rape Crisis, 2017). One in four women have experienced a form of sexual violence by a partner (Fawcett, 2007). Moreover, 40% of young people know boys who forced their girlfriends to have sex (Fawcett, 2007). Also, in England and Wales, 5% of women have been raped since the age of 16 (Fawcett, 2007). The paradox is that only 15% of these cases are reported to the police (Rape Crisis, 2017) and of those that are reported ‘’the majority do not result in a sanction detection, prosecution or conviction’’ (Hohl & Stanko, 2015:326). But, according to Holmes and Holmes (2009) rape statistics cannot be reliable because of some factors. For example, there are failures in reporting rapes or in the data collection. Also, some

Through my reading of the article titled “Can she consent to sex after drinking” by Margaret Wente I identified two rape myths. As we know, rape myths are a set of beliefs about rape and sexual assault that feed into rape culture. These uneducated beliefs place the blame on rape victims rather than the perpetrators and attempt to blur the line between rape and consensual sex. In Wente’s article the rape myths I found are “As for those armies of would-be rapists lurking in every shadow – they’re your sons, your grandsons, your nephews and your brothers” and “If two young people get hammered and have drunken sex, he is responsible for his behaviour, but she’s not responsible for hers”. In the first rape myth the author uses a sense of sarcasm, what she is essentially say is that the people who you are calling rapist are in fact just your innocent friends and family. The author is assuming that people who commit acts of sexual violence are not people that we know. She uses this quote to make readers think that rapists are dark, devious, and unknown people. However, we know that in reality this is not the case, in approximately 80-90% of sexual assault cases the perpetrator is someone the victim knows. An overwhelming majority of rapes that occur on campuses are actually done so by the person the victim is dating or an acutance. Although the author tries to assume friends and family are not rapist, studies would argue to the contrary. In the second rape myth the author is

Another problem directly linking and contributing to the problem of the number of reported cases , is the small amount of cases that successfully prosecute the accused. In a recent report, statistics show that only 10 per cent of 7000 sexual and indecent assaults reported to the police resulted in the accused being found guilty. In another statistic, Shadow attorney-general Chris Hartcher says, “only 1 percent of offenders get a jail sentence and it puts victims off coming forward to report rape.” Through the statistics, victims can only see the law as it promoted, the unjust and the little security of a successful conviction, giving them more of a reason to not report their cases. With the little percentage of a conviction, the law shows that the situation is as it is, due to the many unattended flaws. Flaws such as the undefined meaning of consent and the laws blindness towards the experience victims have encountered. With the combination of all these factors, it is only natural that a victim does not feel the need to report their case as nothing but a more disturbing experience will be its outcome.

Sexual assault is not just a crime against an individual, it affects families, the community, and society as a whole. In recent years, our society has shifted to one of rape culture and rape myth. Rape myths are erroneous, stereotypical, and prejudicial beliefs about rape victims and reasons of sexual assault. Rape myths can impact survivors of assault, as well as the behavior and effectiveness of family, friends, medical and social services, and law enforcement (Rape Victim Advocates, 2016). Rape impacts our society by attacking the cohesion and mutual protection that makes a society. When we allow such crimes to go without the most vigorous and vigilant investigation and punishment, we allow for whole segments of society to be diminished, we are sending the message that society is okay with rape (Abbey,

Rape is a crime in which one person forces another person with threats, physical force or deception to have sex or sexual contact. In many cases rape is often through penetration, but victims are submitted to rape under different circumstances, such as oral sex, therefore rape has many muddled definitions. The various definitions of rape is a consequence of different cultural backgrounds and stereotypes. Sexual assaults have an effect on everyone either directly or indirectly, especially when victim blaming. Rape is not biased, for it can occur to any person despite their age, gender, religion, education level, sexual orientation or ethnicity. “According to the Department of Justice the average number of rape cases reported annually is approximately 89,000, but many victims are fearful to report their case to the police, for they do not want to be blamed for their assault.” (The Offender 's) Victim blaming in rape cases is a direct correlation to stereotypes. Some stereotypes that affect victim blaming is sexual orientation, promiscuity, gender roles, and race. “These contributing factors are stemmed from the much larger problem of society 's idea of gender and race stereotypes.” (Gill)

“They are all innocent until proven guilty. But not me. I am a liar until I am proven honest.” Louise O’Neill. Rape has become a widely recognized issue in recent decades, however, an estimated 63 percent of assaults are never reported to the police. Differences in 1930’s issues compared to present day include: false rape accusations centered around racial prejudice, but now skirt the main issue of rape itself; victims still face many obstacles but now feel more supported; development of rape kits helped solve many suits but make survivors wearisome; and today’s trials are not based on accusations, but are based on evidence.

Prosecutors and police officers may be less likely to believe victims if they have no signs of physical abuse like cuts, bruises, or scrapes, or if they have known their attackers for a long time (Hilgenkamp 163). Victims often feel ashamed and humiliated for bringing their experiences forward and become frustrated and furtherly emotionally damaged (Hilgenkamp 163). Dealing with sexual assault cases differently based on the victim’s state and story is unfair to the survivor and will only further hurt someone who has already suffered through a traumatic ordeal since it causes them feel as though they are not being listened to or heard. In addition to investigations that are often biased and poorly conducted, the number of convictions made in sexual assault cases is astonishingly small. A few years ago, “The Chicago Tribune published the results of a study involving 171 campus sex complaints at six Midwestern universities. Twelve of the accused perpetrators were arrested, and only four were convicted” (Hedelman and Brown). Due to the low conviction rates, many women feel as though their allegations of having been sexually assaulted are not being taken seriously or even acknowledged (Hedelman and Brown). Unfortunately, sexual assault is a popular crime on college campuses, but when victims bring their stories forward to law enforcers, they are not taken seriously and severe punishments are rarely given to assaulters, which further harms people who have already been wrongly treated. Police and investigators have to change the ways in which they deal with sexual assault cases because investigations are unfairly biased and are usually so inaccurately conducted that most offenders

We have seen rape-law reform takes place in the United States over the last decade.The evolution of awareness of rape changed federal legislation which was enacted in 1994 and known as the Violence against Women Act (VAWA). This act was reauthorized in 2000 and 2005. Many attempts have been made by researchers to measure rape, and the findings vary across the board. There are a lot of rape statics that are very unreliable and misleading. Rape is determined and counted by the data source that is used. The FBI’s UCR Program reported 88,097 in 2009, and these were completed or attempted rapes. The best measure of rape is the National Violence against Women (NVAW) Survey. 18% of

Rape culture creates myths that victim blame the survivors of sexual violence. For example, a victim of a crime may be asked a question by police that suggests the victim was too drunk or wearing revealing clothing that provoked the perpetrator and resulted in the sexual violence against the victim. Rape culture silences victims who feel that law enforcement and the judicial system do not protect them or hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. The stigma of sexual violence continues to silence students who choose to not report incidences because they are in fear of stepping forward or believe the judicial system will fail them when they

The number of reported rapes and sexual assaults has decreased in the United States. According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, the population-adjusted rate of rape has dropped 55% from 1993, when the survey was started, to 2013 (Drum, 2014). It is difficult to know for sure if this number is accurate because many cases of sexual assault and rape are not reported to authorities. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center estimates that roughly 63% of sexual assaults are not reported to police (2015). Still at least 25% of American women have

There are five typologies of rape: power-reassurance, power-assertive, anger retaliatory, and sadistic. Power-reassurance, “is characterized by feelings of inadequacy and poor social skills and does not inflict injury upon his victims” (National Center for Women and Policing, 2001). These rapists will often coax a person using soft tactics and they do not intend to harm their victim. They tend to commit these crimes to elevate their self esteem. Power-assertive crave to overpower their target. These rapists use aggressive methods of control and are impulsive. Anger retaliatory rapists, “often degrades or humiliates the victim” (Simons). These rapists are motivated mainly by the emotional satisfaction once they release their anger. Sadistic rapists fantasize of torture and pain. These rapist are known to extensively plan, will act charming, and intelligent. They get their sexual satisfaction from the victims’ suffering. Rape syndrome, “is the group of reactions – emotional, physical, and behavioral – reported by victims of attempted or completed rape” (“Rape Trauma Syndrome”). Victims develop feelings of humiliation, degradation, guilt, shame, embarrassment to self-blame, anger, revenge, and most often fear. This can be fear of physical

To begin with, the topic of rape and sexual assault is constantly silenced by society and joked about. For the most part, rapists and sexual offenders are never served justice, and often are not reported. 68% of sexual assault cases have gone unreported and 98% of rapists will never spend a single day in jail (U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Bureau of Justice.) Only 2% of these criminals receive jail time. Only 2% of the criminals get what one deserves for ruining another’s life. Most victims are three times more likely to suffer from depression and six times more likely to develop post traumatic stress disorder; victims are twenty six times more likely to abuse drugs than the average person ( World Health Organization.) It is a common belief

Sixteen of these twenty will be prosecuted, but only ten will result in conviction” (Shen). Of all rape reports, only 10 percent end in conviction. Therefore, if a false accusation, which already has a low probability of occurring, is made, it then only has a 10 percent chance of being convicted. This 10 percent chance is likely even lower, as if the case is properly investigated, a false accusation will not end in a conviction. False accusations are not the problem in society, but rather sexual assault. Underreporting, paired with the increase in rape, demonstrates the growing urgency to deal with the problem of sexual assault before it gets out of hand. Although false accusations of rape are without a doubt a problem, they are in no way as big as the growing problem of rape in our society. False accusations should not be society’s main concern, but rather the number of sexual assaults which occur. In the military alone, sexual assault has grown, with “about 3,000 service members reporting being sexually assaulted in 2012, but a confidential Department of Defense survey suggests the figure is closer to 26,000 — up 35 percent over 2010” (Koons). These numbers may even be

49-52) What are some of the myths about rape and how do these effects public perception?