America the Free Home of the: Stigma
Why has the stigma of rape victims not changed in modern society? According to the Encyclopedia of Rape, “rape has always been a part of human culture” (Smith IX). Rape is defined as the unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim or to seize, take, and carry off by force. Even though laws are starting to catch up with the rights a victim of rape should be given, the accused rapists’ rights are significantly greater than those of the victim. Freda Adler said, “perhaps it is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused and, …show more content…
A rape stigma as defined in the Encyclopedia of Rape, “ is the negative perception of a rape survivor’s reputation, manifested in insinuations or openly expressed misconceptions that the assault was somehow …show more content…
The reasoning for or against the possibilities vary as much as the victims themselves. The Victims who report their rape only average about sixteen percent of those who are actually raped. For those who do not report their rape some of the reasons they have given were very basic. The largest reason, at around forty-three percent, that victims of rape used for not reporting their crime was they claimed they believed nothing could be done. The second largest reason victims used, averaging twenty-three percent, was they felt it was a private matter. Around twelve percent of victims were afraid of the response they would receive from the police. Another twelve percent of victims believed that their victimisation was not important enough to warrant reporting. The final six percent of people who do not report the crime claimed other reasons, not wanting to
Why has the stigma of rape victims not changed in modern society? According to the Encyclopedia of Rape, “rape has always been a part of human culture” (Smith IX). Rape is defined as the unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus, or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim or to seize, take, and carry off by force. Even though laws are starting to catch up with the rights a victim of rape should be given, the accused rapists’ rights are significantly greater than those of the victim. Freda Adler said, “perhaps it is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused and, …show more content…
A rape stigma as defined in the Encyclopedia of Rape, “ is the negative perception of a rape survivor’s reputation, manifested in insinuations or openly expressed misconceptions that the assault was somehow …show more content…
The reasoning for or against the possibilities vary as much as the victims themselves. The Victims who report their rape only average about sixteen percent of those who are actually raped. For those who do not report their rape some of the reasons they have given were very basic. The largest reason, at around forty-three percent, that victims of rape used for not reporting their crime was they claimed they believed nothing could be done. The second largest reason victims used, averaging twenty-three percent, was they felt it was a private matter. Around twelve percent of victims were afraid of the response they would receive from the police. Another twelve percent of victims believed that their victimisation was not important enough to warrant reporting. The final six percent of people who do not report the crime claimed other reasons, not wanting to