Lauren+C.

**__Rape__** =media type="youtube" key="3PMi9XxzIzs" height="340" width="560"= =toc= **Introduction** The term ** Rape ** is a crime of sexual violence that causes long-term emotional devastation in its victims, contends Bonita Repp in the following selection. Victims come from all walks of life, she points out, and most are acquainted with their attackers. Although ** rape ** can occur anywhere, Repp writes, it is largely underreported because many victims do not want to face the painful medical and legal processes that force them to relive the attack. Moreover, the author maintains, many communities and courts of justice subscribe to the myth that victims are in some way to blame for their sexual assault. If victims did not have to face such stigmas, the battle against ** rape ** would become more successful, she concludes. Repp is an advocate for the Women's Coalition of St. Croix, Virgin Islands, Because of the societal stigma, the painful hospital exam, the humiliating legal procedures, which include hours and hours of telling and retelling, living and reliving the ** rape **, the personal attacks on an adult victim's character in the courtroom (and recently in the newspapers), it is estimated that as high as 90% of rapes go unreported. ere tend to be myths about ** rape ** which people believe to be fact, particularly in cases where the victim knows the perpetrator(s). Society has created these myths in order to feel safe. "If I don't wear this, if I don't do that, if I don't go there, I will not be raped." The fact is that //anyone// can be sexually assaulted. Victims range in age from infants to people in their nineties. Victims are male or female from every racial, ethnic, religious, economic and social background. Victims are attacked in their homes, working in offices or stores, walking to or from their cars, waiting for or exiting buses, out on dates, hanging out with trusted friends, walking to or from school, //any// situation where a predator can take advantage. Statistics show that 84% of all sexual assaults are committed by an acquaintance of the victim, 57% of all sexual assaults occur during a date, and 43% of all rapes involve two or more perpetrators.

Problems Victims Face
Even though ** rape ** is the most under-reported crime due to all the fear, pain and humiliation the victim suffers, first at the hands of the rapist, then at the hands of the justice system, many people believe that women frequently "cry ** rape ** ." The FBI reports that false accusations account for only 2% of //all// reported sexual assaults, which is no higher than false reports for any other crime. People also seem to believe strongly that without some cooperation from the victim, there can be no ** rape **. The fact is that rapists are willing to use all the force necessary to accomplish penetration. Many victims do not resist because they fear for their lives. Submission to save your life or avoid bodily harm is not the same as cooperation. Afterwards victims are often most disturbed by the terror they experienced and re-experience as being completely vulnerable. They know that during the ** rape **, the rapist had the power to do anything to them, including take their lives. And there are no guarantees. Some women have been brutalized even though they submitted. There are no rules on how to survive a sexual assault.

The Dynamics of Rape
Some people believe that ** rape ** results from an uncontrollable sexual urge, that men ** rape ** impulsively and out of biological need. ** Rape ** is a criminal act of violence using sex as a weapon. Men ** rape ** to express hostility and to dominate. They ** rape ** because it allows them to express anger and to feel powerful by controlling another person. Studies show that most rapes—including acquaintance ** rape ** —are planned hours or even days in advance. Additionally, most convicted rapists are married or have available sex partners, which supports ** rape ** being a learned, planned behavior that does not arise from impulsive biological need. Many people, men in particular, do not understand the dynamics of ** rape **. If you have any doubt, just ask a few men when was the last time they had fears of being raped and how they would feel if they were raped. Most immediately think of a woman seducing them against their will, and the depth of violation known to ** rape ** victims does not even enter their minds. This is because ** rape ** is almost exclusively a male crime. It is the male who penetrates, who violates by thrusting part of his body //into// the woman's, man's or child's body. The only way a female can perform the act of ** rape ** is to penetrate with an object. ** Rape ** is the act of someone penetrating your person without your consent. This act and other acts of sexual abuse and sexual assault have devastating, long-term emotional, psychological and, in the case of children, developmental consequences to the victims. That is why it is so important for victims to be heard and believed and supported through the ordeal of the legal process, if they choose to report, and during the long recovery process so that they are able to reclaim their lives.

Why Rape Is Under Reported
No one asks to be raped, but it is easy to understand why a victim might choose not to report a ** rape **. The medical exam is painful and the legal process forces the victim to visit and revisit the ** rape **. Then, especially in cases where the victim knows the perpetrator, there is always a fear with regards to the victim's safety and the victim can count on being degraded and humiliated in court by the defense attorney. Does this sound like something you would choose to experience? Why is it that we as a society question the validity of violent crimes committed against women and children? The victims of other criminal acts are not scrutinized and placed on trial right along with the defendants, or just totally ignored by the community and the justice system. Perhaps if we as a society were to take the stigma away from the victims and place the blame and responsibility soundly on the perpetrators, more victims would feel safe to come forward and eventually we would have fewer crimes of this nature. It is our own complacence which allows these predators to roam freely among us, doing as they please, because it is so much easier for us to hide in the myths and blame the victims.

__Suggested Websites:__ http://www.medicinenet.com/rape/article.htm This website gives you basic information on rape and what it is. http://www.raap.org/ This website is a rape assistance and awareness program that strives in eliminating sexual violence. http://www.kzoo.edu/ws/rape/ This website gives info on sexual assault and helps those who have been raped. http://www.rainn.org/ This is another awareness hotline for those who need help after being raped. http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~ad361896/anne/cease/rapestatisticspage.html This site gives statistics about rape.

__ Works Cited __ Bahl, Mary E. "Rape Shield Laws Are Necessary." //Opposing Viewpoints: Sexual Violence//. Ed. Helen Cothran. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2003. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2010 . Buchwald, Emilie, Pamela R. Fletcher and Martha Roth. "Acquaintance Rape Has Been Increasing." //At Issue: Date Rape//. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1998. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2010 . Crime, Office for Victims of. "Rape Is a Serious Problem for Women." //Current Controversies: Violence Against Women//. Ed. Kate Burns. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 9 Feb. 2010 . Gilbert, Neil. "The Incidence of Rape Has Been Exaggerated." //Opposing Viewpoints: Sexual Violence//. Ed. Mary E. Williams and Tamara L. Roleff. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1997. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2010 . Justice, National Institute of. "Rape and Sexual Violence Are Serious Problems." //Opposing Viewpoints: Sexual Violence//. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 9 Feb. 2010 . Pierce-Baker, Charlotte and Zachary. "The Other Half of Silence." //Contemporary Issues Companion: Rape//. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 9 Feb. 2010 . Repp, Bonita. "Rape and Its Effects on Victims." //Contemporary Issues Companion: Rape//. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2001. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 9 Feb. 2010 . Thornhill, Randy, and Craig T. Palmer. "Men Are Biologically Inclined to Rape." //Current Controversies: Violence Against Women//. Ed. Karen F. Balkin. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2004. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2010 . Zohrab, Peter. "The Definition of Rape Has Been Unfairly Changed." //At Issue: Date Rape//. Ed. Christine Watkins. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. //Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center//. Web. 11 Feb. 2010 .