Rape

1. Rape In the United States, a rape is reported about once every five minutes. FBI Uniform Crime Report, 2000

2. Politicians on Rape Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri), who takes a strong stance against abortion, declared on Sunday that in cases of "legitimate rape," a woman's body will block an unwanted pregnancy. During an interview with a St. Louis TV station, Akin said, "It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, [pregnancy resulting from rape is] really rare. If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let's assume that maybe that didn't work or something. I think there should be some punishment, but the punishment ought to be of the rapist, and not attacking the child."

3. The Media and rape Consider this: Reaction to the victim-blaming in a recent New York Times story about a brutal gang rape in East Texas has been fast and furious. Over the past several weeks, columnists, bloggers, victim advocates and anti-rape activists–women and men–have criticized the March 8 Times story for the way its use of selective quotes suggested that an 11-year-old girl in effect contributed to the assault against her by “wearing make-up and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her twenties.”

4. The Media and rape In addition, critics have responded to the perception conveyed in the article that among the residents of Cleveland, Texas there is greater concern for the nineteen men and boys facing allegations of rape than for the young girl.

5. Judges on Rape Judge G. Todd Baugh has brought the national spotlight to Yellowstone County and is hearing calls from across the country for his ouster after he imposed a 30-day sentence in a rape case, and said the 14-year-old victim was “as much in control of the situation” as the high school teacher who ultimately pleaded guilty. The judge also described the teenager as “being older than her chronological age,” even though the age of consent in Montana is 16.

6. Judges on Rape In this case, though, the victim could not hear those words. She killed herself in February 2010.

7. Judges on Rape People have connected clothing to rape for years, usually from the angle that the woman must want sex due to what she's wearing. Taking the discussion a dangerous step further, an Australian court acquitted Nicholas Gonzales of rape charges based on the idea that skinny jeans are so difficult to get off, that the woman would therefore need to consent to sex if the jeans were removed. In other words, the denim chastity belt defense. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, During the trial the jury sent a note to the judge asking for more information about "how exactly Nick took off her jeans." "I doubt those kind of jeans can be removed without any sort of collaboration," the note read.

8. Kobe Bryant quote after his acquittal First, I want to apologize directly to the young woman involved in this incident. I want to apologize to her for my behavior that night and for the consequences she has suffered in the past year. Although this year has been incredibly difficult for me personally, I can only imagine the pain she has had to endure. I also want to apologize to her parents and family members, and to my family and friends and supporters, and to the citizens of Eagle, Colo. I also want to make it clear that I do not question the motives of this young woman. No money has been paid to this woman. She has agreed that this statement will not be used against me in the civil case. Although I truly believe this encounter between us was consensual, I recognize now that she did not and does not view this incident the same way I did. After months of reviewing discovery, listening to her attorney, and even her testimony in person, I now understand how she feels that she did not consent to this encounter.

9. Justifiable Rape The socialized 'deafness' of men toward women, and the likelihood that a man will interpret a situation to have stronger sexual overtones than a woman will - leads to the belief among many men (and some women) in 'justifiable rape', somewhat along the lines of 'justifiable homicide'. In 'justifiable rape', the victim's behavior is seen as being responsible for triggering the man's action. Although there is no legal concept as there is in 'justifiable homicide', the idea of 'justifiable rape' influences the opinions of everyone from the rape victim's own family to the jury who may sit in judgment of her attacker.

10. Justifiable Rape Many believe that if the woman invites the man out on the date : the man pays for the date : she dresses 'suggestively' : they go to his place rather than to a movie : she drinks alcohol or does drugs it is ‘justifiable rape.” Men with traditional attitudes toward women rate these situations as justifying rape significantly more often than do men who hold nontraditional attitudes. The research also shows that many times men will feel 'led on' while women will not have the slightest clue that their actions are being interpreted as sexual.

11. Facts About Date Rape Here are some data collected from a national study of college students: • One in four college women have either been raped or suffered attempted rape. • 84 percent of the women who are raped knew their assailants. • 57 percent of the rapes occurred on a date. • Women, ages 16-24, have four times higher risk of being raped than any other population group. • One in 12 male students surveyed had committed acts that met the legal definition of rape.

12. Facts About Date Rape • 16 percent of male students who had committed rape took part in episodes with more than one attacker's gang rape. • 75 percent of male students and 55 percent of female students involved in date rape had been drunk or using drugs.* • 33 percent of males surveyed said that they would commit rape if they could escape detection.**

13. Facts About Sexual Assault • One out of four women is sexually assaulted at some point in her life. • One out of six men is sexually assaulted at some point in his life. • Every 15 seconds, a woman is beaten by her husband or boyfriend. (FBI Uniform Crime Report, 1991) • Two to four million women are abused every year. (American Medical Association) • 95 to 98 percent of victims of domestic violence are women. (Bureau of Statistics) • Approximately 25 percent of all women in the U.S. will be abused by current or former partners some time during their lives. (American Medical Association)

14. Facts About Sexual Assault • 82.8 percent of sexual assaults occur before the victim reaches the age of 25. • 78 percent of sexual assault victims were assaulted by someone they knew. • Up to 57 percent of rapes happened on a date. • More than 66 percent of sexual assault victims reported NO visible physical injuries. • More than 50 percent of victims and 70 percent of assailants had used drugs or alcohol prior to the assault. • Fewer than 20 percent of crimes of sexual violence are reported to the police.

15. Facts About Sexual Assault • Only 2 percent of reported sexual assaults have been determined to be false reports. • One in eight college women is the victim of rape during her college years. One in four is the victim of attempted rape. • 95 percent of these rape victims did not report the rape to officials. • 25 percent of women were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse, partner or date during their lifetime. • 84 percent of the women knew the men who raped them; 57 percent were on dates.

16. The majority of sexual assaults are not reported to the police (an average of 60% of assaults in the last five years were not reported). Those rapists, of course, will never spend a day in prison. But even when the crime is reported, it is unlike to lead to an arrest and prosecution. Factoring in unreported rapes, only about 3% of rapists will ever serve a day in prison.

17. Ways to Reduce your Risk of Sexual Assault Avoiding Dangerous Situations While you can never completely protect yourself from sexual assault, there are some things you can do to help reduce your risk of being assaulted. Safety Planning If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted or is in an abusive relationship, there are things to consider when thinking about safety. How can I protect my child from sexual assault? While there is no sure-fire way to protect your child from all dangers, there are some steps that you can take to help reduce the risk of a sexual assault.

18. Ways to Reduce your Risk of Sexual Assault In a Social Situation Here are some tips to help reduce your risk of being assaulted in social situations. If Someone is Pressuring You If someone is pressuring you, it is important to remember that being in this situation is not your fault...here are some things that you can try. What can Men Do? The majority of those who commit sexual assaults are men. Even so, it is important to remember that the vast majority of men are not rapists. Computer Safety These are some valuable ways to manage your personal information online, as well as tips for following safe browsing procedures.

19. Call to Action In the struggle to stop rape and all forms of men’s violence against women, it is time for men to leave the sidelines and get in the game. One important step we can take is to raise our voices and insist that the spotlight in media coverage of rape turns away from a fixation on victims and their behavior and instead focuses on abusive men and boys–and the culture that produces and makes excuses for them. We make this demand not only as concerned citizens and responsible members of our communities–but as men from virtually every cultural/racial/ethnic/religious background.

20. Call to Action One of the most disturbing aspects of this gang rape (as in others) is how often the alleged perpetrators videotape the event. In the Cleveland, Texas assault, the police investigation was prompted, according to the Times, when an elementary school student alerted a teacher to a cell phone video that included one of her classmates. Why would men videotape an incident that literally documents their commission of a first-degree felony unless they thought 1) there was absolutely no chance of them being caught or 2) they weren’t doing anything wrong?

21. Call to Action We have to ask some difficult questions: why would a group of men and boys sexually violate a vulnerable 11-year-old girl? What does this say not only about them or the small community where they live, but about the society–our society–that raised them? “What are we teaching men and boys about their attitudes and behavior towards girls?” and even further … “What are we teaching men and boys about themselves?”

22. Call to Action For too many young men, communal rituals of sexism perpetuate negative notions of manhood. Most of us are rightly horrified when we read about gang rape. But group sexual assault is best understood as being at the extreme end of a continuum of behaviors that normalize men’s sexist treatment of women. What about college guys hiring strippers for private parties and openly calling those women “bitches and hoes”?

23. Call to Action It is this last possibility that is most disturbing, because it implicates not just the men and boys who have been charged with the crime, but all of us. What role does each of us play in defining and perpetuating social norms? Moreover, what is the responsibility of adult men not only to girls, but to boys? What is the responsibility that each of us has to teach, mentor and model for younger men and boys non-sexist attitudes and behaviors toward women?

24. Call to Action Like other gang rapes, the East Texas case furnishes a powerful metaphor about silence and complicity, because gang rapes can often be prevented if just one guy takes a stand. Can it really be true that there wasn’t one guy–or more–in the group who knew this was terribly wrong? If so, then what were the internal dynamics of the group that prevented anyone from interrupting or stopping the process? Are men (and boys) so scared of each other that no one will speak out for fear that other men will think less of them, or worse, turn the violence on them?

25. More Appropriate Rape Prevention Tips Ten rape prevention tips: 1. Don’t put drugs in women’s drinks. 2. When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone. 3. If you pull over to help a woman whose car has broken down, remember not to rape her. 4. If you are in an elevator and a woman gets in, don’t rape her. 5. When you encounter a woman who is asleep, the safest course of action is to not rape her.

26. More Appropriate Rape Prevention Tips 6. Never creep into a woman’s home through an unlocked door or window, or spring out at her from between parked cars, or rape her. 7. Remember, people go to the laundry room to do their laundry. Do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room. 8. Use the Buddy System! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from raping women, ask a trusted friend to accompany you at all times.

27. More Appropriate Rape Prevention Tips 9. Carry a rape whistle. If you find that you are about to rape someone, blow the whistle until someone comes to stop you. 10. Don’t forget: Honesty is the best policy. When asking a woman out on a date, don’t pretend that you are interested in her as a person; tell her straight up that you expect to be raping her later. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the woman may take it as a sign that you do not plan to rape her.

28. Works Cited Kimmel, Michael. "Men Speak out about Sexism." Ms Magazine Blog. N.p., 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 05 Nov. 2013. "Kobe Bryant's apology". ESPN.com. 2004-09-02. Retrieved 2008-05-05. Koss, M.P. (1988). Hidden Rape: Incidence, Prevalence and descriptive Characteristics of Sexual Aggression and Victimization in a National Sample of College Students. In Burgers, A.W. (ed.) Sexual Assault. Vol II. New York: Garland Publishing Co. ** Malamuth, N.M. (1986). Predictors of Natural Sexual Aggression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 953-962. *** Muehlenhard, C.L., Friedman, D.E. & Thomas, C.M. (1985). Is Date Rape Justifiable? Psychology of Women Quarterly, 9, 297-310 ** Thoennes, Nancy, and Tjaden, Patricia. "Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Violence Against Women: Findings of the National Violence Against Women Survey." U.S. Department of Justice, November 1998.