Copy of Rape Myths

Fact: Over 80% of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. A person may be at greater risk because they do not recognize familiar people or people from the same social, economic, racial, or cultural backgrounds as possible rapists. The majority of assaults occur in the home of the victim or the offender or someone the victim or offender knows. Over 50% of assaults occur during the day. Women are often forced into sex by their husbands, boyfriends, and partners. Often the victim initially trust the person and welcomes him into her home or accepts an invitation to go to his house. She is then blamed for the perpetrator's actions and, often blames herself, especially if her prior understanding of rape was based more on myths than fact.

Fact: When a person experiences trauma we begin to think and act with the amygdalae "the primitive brain". Our instincts during this time are purely focused on survival and our responses are fight, flight or freeze. Often people can't fight for fear of their life or as a result of survival instincts. (1)

Fact: One in every eight women will be a victim of a rape in her lifetime. One in every three to four girls (1 in 3 in Utah) and one in every six to ten boys will be sexually abused by the age of eighteen. A rape occurs every five minutes in the United States, according to the FBI.

Fact: Rape is motivated by the desire to control, dominate, hurt and humiliate, not by sexual desire. No "desire" gives anyone the right to violate another person. Forcing someone to engage in sexual acts against her or his will is an act of violence and aggression. Sex is the weapon used to humiliate and control the victim. In studies of convicted rapists the majority, whether married or single, had consenting sexual partners. Sexual arousal is a strong urge in males and females, but it is a controllable urge. The difference lies in whether people feel they have a right to take what they want by force or whether they respect the wishes and feelings of the other person. Even in those situations where sex rather than humiliation is the primary motive, the fact that a person's wishes to not have sex are completely ignored suggests that rape is always an expression of power and control.

Fact: Men fall victim for the same reasons as women: they are overwhelmed by threats or acts of physical and emotional violence. Also, most sexual assaults that involve a male victim are gang assaults, by other males.

Fact: The FBI has stated that false reports of rape are no higher than false reports for other crimes. Such accusations account for only 2% of reported rapes. Rape is the most under-reported of all crimes. Some data suggests that 80%-90% of rapes are never reported to the police. Most keep it a private nightmare. Reporting a rape is especially difficult because very intimate details have to be shared. The medical exam for the purpose of collecting evidence is long and grueling. Even though many police departments and district attorney's offices have greatly improved their practices, many have not, and the victim may be subjected to further trauma from uninformed and insensitive professionals. Once the rape has been reported to the police, the victim may be harassed and intimidated by the rapist's friends, both male and female. The victim is often accused of ruining the perpetrator's life and faces the fear and threat of retaliation. It is not a course of action taken lightly.

Fact: No one asks to be the victim of a violent, life-threatening act. No one is responsible for someone else's violent behavior. Blaming the victim is based on the myth that rape is nothing more than sex. The fact is that infants and the elderly, males and females, are the victims of sexual violence. Most victims fear for their lives; they believe they will be killed or severely injured. The fact is anyone can be a victim of sexual violence.

Fact: This myth is based on racism. The combination of rape and racism has a long and grim history. During the time of slavery, it was legal for white men to rape African American/Black women.

Men who rape come from all races, ethnicities, and all social classes.

In the last two decades, researchers have studied rape in the general population, greatly expanding our knowledge beyond prison populations. Studies conclude that men usually rape women from their own race, ethnicity, and social class. Statistics from the U.S Department of Justice found no significant difference in the rate of rape and sexual assault among racial groups, although the rate of rape and sexual assault was higher among urban and low-income residents of all races. When men rape women of other races and ethnicities, it is more often a white assailant raping a woman of color than a man of color raping a white woman.

Fact: Rapes are committed by people from all economic levels, all races, all occupations. A rapist can be your doctor, your boss, your superintendent, your partner, parent, your relative, your friend, your date. Many young boys and girls are sexually victimized by trusted adults, such as clergy, athletic coaches, teachers, scout leaders, etc. As with heterosexual relationships, adult same-sex couples also report incidents of sexual assault, although police departments and social service agencies are frequently ill-equipped to respond to this constellation of relational violence.

This very common myth views acquaintance rape as more a matter of miscommunication than anything else -that if women/men would only speak up and make their needs clear, it would never happen; that women (or men) are hard to interpret, often changing their minds, making it confusing for a guy. This myth shows an ignorance for the legal definition of rape; it assumes that strangers are more violent than acquaintances. The myth reveals an ignorance of the source of trauma of rape, which is the loss of control over one's body, mind, and spirit, regardless of whether the assailant is a stranger or an acquaintance.

Acquaintance rape is as serious as rape by a stranger. A person who is raped by someone they know experience a similar degree of trauma to those raped by a stranger. Some specific feelings may be different, but not the severity of feeling. Acquaintance rape has nothing to do with miscommunication. It has everything to do with people believing they have a right to take what they want and an inability to see the other person as a human being. The law is quite specific about the definition of rape and other forms of sexual assault and draws no distinction between an attacker who is a stranger and an attacker who is an acquaintance. In order to fit the definition of rape, the person who rapes has to be aware that the other person does not want it to happen (against consent) and, knowing this, proceeds to use force, threaten force, or cause the other person to fear bodily harm, or proceeds to exploit a person who is incapable of resisting because of being asleep, having a disability, or having consumed too much alcohol or any other substance. That so many perpetrators see nothing wrong in doing this, is a comment on their attitudes, not on the level of trauma of the rape.

Fact: Most states now have laws against rape in marriage. The idea that a man can't rape his wife suggests married women do not have the same right to safety as do unmarried women. Most battered women have experienced some form of sexual abuse within their marriage. It is also known that estranged or ex-spouses sometimes use rape as a form of retaliation. As with heterosexual relationships, adult same-sex couples also report incidents of sexual assault, although police departments and social service agencies are frequently ill-equipped to respond to this constellation of relational violence.

Rape Culture

Resource List

How do myths support a culture of increased sexual violence?

How have you seen myths perpetuated?

Who does the myth protect?

Myth #1

Rape Culture

Rape Culture 101: Shakesville

http://www.shakesville.com/2009/10/rape-culture-101.html

Rape Myths

The Hunting Ground film: http://www.thehuntinggroundfilm.com

Most rapes are committed by strangers in the dark of night in out-of-the-way places

Rape Myths

Myth #11

A man cannot rape his wife.

Myth #2

If the victim didn't put up a fight with the assailant, it's not really rape.

Myth #10

rAPE Culture

Acquaintance rapes are not as serious as stranger rapes

How do we collectively think about rape?

Myth #3

Common examples:

• Victim blaming
• Ignoring sexual assault, rape and general violence as a problem
• Sexual objectification
• Trivialization or Normalization of rape
• Jokes, language, media

Rape won't happen to me or anyone I know

Myth #9

Men who sexually assault come from a particular part of society

Myth #4

Myth #8

Most rapes are committed by black men raping white women

The motive for rape is sexual. Rape is the result of either uncontrollable sexual urges or a lack of sexual opportunities.

Myth # 5

Myth #7

It is impossible to sexually assault a man

Victims of rape "ask for it". They provoke an attack by their behavior, attitudes, or dress.

Myth #6

Women falsely accuse men of rape

Myth: a widely held but false belief or idea

References

(1) The neurobiology of sexual assault. (2009). In R. Campbell & National Criminal Justice Reference Service (U.S.) (Eds.), Systems change analysis of SANE programs: Identifying the mediating mechanisms of criminal justice system impact : project summary (p. 50). Retrieved from http://nij.gov/multimedia/presenter/presenter-campbell/pages/presenter-campbell-transcript.aspx