Rape is a form of sexual assault that occurs when, one party performs sexual acts with another without the consent of the second party (Womens Coalition of St. Croix, 2009). If consent is there for the sex act to take place, the consent is forced, coerced or the second party is below the age of consenting or incapable of giving sound consent due to mental impairments. In most cases, the offender is usually male while the victim is normally female. However, some cases of women raping men, men raping other men or even lesbian rape are sporadic. Rape is an illegal act that is physically and psychologically harmful to the victim. Where there is no sexual contact between the two parties, the crime is usually lessened to sexual assault (Womens Coalition of St. Croix, 2009). A large percent of rape cases can be classified as acquaintance rape where the rapist and the victim know each other and as such, the victim is confident enough to drop guard by trusting the assailant, which gives him the ease to strike. Men use rape as a means of social control, revenge, while others feel it is their right to have sex and it is a way of fulfilling their manly expectation. Some rape crimes are committed by ordinary men who seem harmless and this is especially the case in date rapes (Womens Coalition of St. Croix, 2009). Many women associate rape with criminals or men who lurk in the dark waiting for their victims to pounce on.
Acquaintance Rape
A research carried recently from a group of women indicated that 25 percent of the women had been victims of rape or attempted rape. 84 percent of those raped were raped by people they were close to and most of these rapes happened while on dates (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). The research also indicated that six percent of college male students have been involved in rape offences against fellow student, some of them saying that the incident involved more than one assailant. The above data constitutes what can be referred to as acquaintance rape. This is any sexual activity that is not consented, between two parties or even, more, who know each other. It can happen between lovers, friends, spouses or people who have just known each other.
Myths on Acquaintance Rape
There are some myths about acquaintance rape that need to be debunked. One myths says that the victim, by the virtue of being in the attackers company deserves the treatment but the reality is that, being in the attackers company or house does not add up to consent. The other myth is that if a woman allows the man to buy her a drink or dinner, she owes him a sexual favor, but in real sense, sex cannot be used to pay back for monetary or material favors given by the man (Meyer, 2000). Other people say that intercourse is inevitable after acts like kissing and touching but the persons right to refuse to consent must be honored, the activity preceding, notwithstanding. People ought to restrain what they claim to be inevitable. There is another myth that has led to the rising cases of date rape. This is the notion that when women say no, they mean yes, which is a backward stereotype that should not be entertained. Finally most people say that woman modes of dressing may provoke a man to commit a rape crime, but once again, people should know how to restrain themselves. Rape is a crime that cannot be justified and it amounts to violation of one of the most precious rights of the victim (Cullen Bonnie, 2000)
Effects of Acquaintance Rape
The image of a rapist has been a nightmare to many women and this haunts their day to day lives. The events following a rape incident are very horrendous to contemplate (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). Initially the victims are too terrified to face their own feelings about the incident and as such get the help they deserve. Then the events haunt them for day, years and others for the rest of their lives. Some do not have the courage to convey their feelings to a third party. It is a form of self denial it is as if they are denying the act happened. The case is even worse when the victim knows the attacker. This is because sometimes the victim may still have feelings of affection to the attacker especially when the attacker was a close acquaintance or a lover. They may feel that the punitive measures meted upon the attacker may be too grave thus leaving her with the situations to grapple with (National Center for Victims of Crimes. 2008). This is why some of the date rape cases go unpunished because they usually go unreported due to the affection weakness of the victim. Some victims have been continuously been raped by the same attacker but they hardly report the cases and in most cases, the failure to report may not be caused by threats from the attacker, it is because of the fallacy from the victim of thinking that reporting the attacker may severe interpersonal or social relationships. This is one of the factors that have led to rise in the number of rapists. This is because most rapists have done it a number of times without getting punished. Some of the victims err by looking for ways of blaming themselves, sometimes questioning their manner of dressing, or their decision to go out for a date, without realizing that they are helping the assailant by using myths to defend the act. Some victim fear that they will be blamed which makes them very apprehensive. Others fear the recurrent of the trauma during the trial process forgetting that the trauma is something that may last for along time. Others even fear to seek medical help because they are afraid of more violations that are likely to take place during the process of examination. Survivors of acquaintance rape often display tendencies of depression, mental instability, untold anxieties and relationship tumults in the future. Others may form a negative attitude towards the people of the gender of the attacker and even shy away from associating with them at any level. Others become socially withdrawn while some cut off communication links with most of the people and become lone figures. There are those who decide to become promiscuous as a way of letting out their frustration while s a few will become very aggressive and intolerant. An emotional impairment that can result is the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder whose symptoms include high levels of fear, mistrust and doubts (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). This leads to a condition called hyper-vigilance in the presence of the people of the gender of the attacker. For women, they see all men as beings with the potential to rape and they tend to display high levels of wariness in their presence.
Prevention
There should be programs of educating and raising awareness on the issue of acquaintance rape. This should target men who are the main perpetrators, so that they can be educated on responsible behaviors especially when relating with women. Women should also raise their awareness and get knowledge on how to identify acquaintances who can be possible attackers. Some of these signs include emotionally intimidating and demeaning comments. Domineering friends who impose a sense of superiority or have coercive tendencies are potential candidates for this form of crime (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). Women should also be equipped with defensive mechanisms that may help them to thwart incidences of rape. This may include physical combativeness or verbal aggressiveness that may help the victim to scare way the assailant. Reporting of the cases of these forms of rape is very vital in preventing future occurrences because if action is taken, the probability of a recurrence of the incidence is very low. Any one who involves himself in this heinous crime is an enemy and there is no plausible reason as to why this criminal should be let to walk Scot free. Letting them loose will encourage repeated incidents of acquaintance rape in the future.
Acquaintance Rape
A research carried recently from a group of women indicated that 25 percent of the women had been victims of rape or attempted rape. 84 percent of those raped were raped by people they were close to and most of these rapes happened while on dates (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). The research also indicated that six percent of college male students have been involved in rape offences against fellow student, some of them saying that the incident involved more than one assailant. The above data constitutes what can be referred to as acquaintance rape. This is any sexual activity that is not consented, between two parties or even, more, who know each other. It can happen between lovers, friends, spouses or people who have just known each other.
Myths on Acquaintance Rape
There are some myths about acquaintance rape that need to be debunked. One myths says that the victim, by the virtue of being in the attackers company deserves the treatment but the reality is that, being in the attackers company or house does not add up to consent. The other myth is that if a woman allows the man to buy her a drink or dinner, she owes him a sexual favor, but in real sense, sex cannot be used to pay back for monetary or material favors given by the man (Meyer, 2000). Other people say that intercourse is inevitable after acts like kissing and touching but the persons right to refuse to consent must be honored, the activity preceding, notwithstanding. People ought to restrain what they claim to be inevitable. There is another myth that has led to the rising cases of date rape. This is the notion that when women say no, they mean yes, which is a backward stereotype that should not be entertained. Finally most people say that woman modes of dressing may provoke a man to commit a rape crime, but once again, people should know how to restrain themselves. Rape is a crime that cannot be justified and it amounts to violation of one of the most precious rights of the victim (Cullen Bonnie, 2000)
Effects of Acquaintance Rape
The image of a rapist has been a nightmare to many women and this haunts their day to day lives. The events following a rape incident are very horrendous to contemplate (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). Initially the victims are too terrified to face their own feelings about the incident and as such get the help they deserve. Then the events haunt them for day, years and others for the rest of their lives. Some do not have the courage to convey their feelings to a third party. It is a form of self denial it is as if they are denying the act happened. The case is even worse when the victim knows the attacker. This is because sometimes the victim may still have feelings of affection to the attacker especially when the attacker was a close acquaintance or a lover. They may feel that the punitive measures meted upon the attacker may be too grave thus leaving her with the situations to grapple with (National Center for Victims of Crimes. 2008). This is why some of the date rape cases go unpunished because they usually go unreported due to the affection weakness of the victim. Some victims have been continuously been raped by the same attacker but they hardly report the cases and in most cases, the failure to report may not be caused by threats from the attacker, it is because of the fallacy from the victim of thinking that reporting the attacker may severe interpersonal or social relationships. This is one of the factors that have led to rise in the number of rapists. This is because most rapists have done it a number of times without getting punished. Some of the victims err by looking for ways of blaming themselves, sometimes questioning their manner of dressing, or their decision to go out for a date, without realizing that they are helping the assailant by using myths to defend the act. Some victim fear that they will be blamed which makes them very apprehensive. Others fear the recurrent of the trauma during the trial process forgetting that the trauma is something that may last for along time. Others even fear to seek medical help because they are afraid of more violations that are likely to take place during the process of examination. Survivors of acquaintance rape often display tendencies of depression, mental instability, untold anxieties and relationship tumults in the future. Others may form a negative attitude towards the people of the gender of the attacker and even shy away from associating with them at any level. Others become socially withdrawn while some cut off communication links with most of the people and become lone figures. There are those who decide to become promiscuous as a way of letting out their frustration while s a few will become very aggressive and intolerant. An emotional impairment that can result is the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder whose symptoms include high levels of fear, mistrust and doubts (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). This leads to a condition called hyper-vigilance in the presence of the people of the gender of the attacker. For women, they see all men as beings with the potential to rape and they tend to display high levels of wariness in their presence.
Prevention
There should be programs of educating and raising awareness on the issue of acquaintance rape. This should target men who are the main perpetrators, so that they can be educated on responsible behaviors especially when relating with women. Women should also raise their awareness and get knowledge on how to identify acquaintances who can be possible attackers. Some of these signs include emotionally intimidating and demeaning comments. Domineering friends who impose a sense of superiority or have coercive tendencies are potential candidates for this form of crime (National Center for Victims of Crimes, 2008). Women should also be equipped with defensive mechanisms that may help them to thwart incidences of rape. This may include physical combativeness or verbal aggressiveness that may help the victim to scare way the assailant. Reporting of the cases of these forms of rape is very vital in preventing future occurrences because if action is taken, the probability of a recurrence of the incidence is very low. Any one who involves himself in this heinous crime is an enemy and there is no plausible reason as to why this criminal should be let to walk Scot free. Letting them loose will encourage repeated incidents of acquaintance rape in the future.
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