NCJ Number
49721
Date Published
1978
Length
155 pages
Annotation
SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF UNREPORTED RAPE IN AUSTRALIA ARE EXPLORED IN A BOOK BASED ON INTERVIEWS WITH 70 WOMEN VICTIMS.
Abstract
THE VICTIM INTERVIEW MATERIALS ARE SUPPLEMENTED WITH REPORTS OF INTERVIEWS WITH POLICE AND WITH A CROSS-SECTION OF AUSTRALIANS REPRESENTING DIFFERENT AGE AND OCCUPATIONAL GROUPS. THE NATURE OF THE UNREPORTED ASSAULTS AND THE VICTIMS' RESPONSES ARE REPORTED. SEVERAL RAPE PATTERNS ARE IDENTIFIED: RANDOM BLITZ RAPE (NO PRIOR CONTACT BETWEEN VICTIM AND OFFENDER); SPECIFIC BLITZ RAPE (LIKE RANDOM BLITZ RAPE, EXCEPT THE RAPIST HAS SELECTED AND OBSERVED SPECIFIC VICTIM); WHITE COLLAR RAPE (RAPE BY DECEIT OR SUBTERFUGE COMMITTED BY MEN FROM PROFESSIONAL OR SEMIPROFESSIONAL OCCUPATIONAL CLASSES); POWER WITH TRICKERY RAPE; FAMILY RAPE; CEREMONIAL RAPE (E.G., RAPES BY MOTORCYCLE GANG MEMBERS, OCCULTISTS, ETC); FRIENDSHIP RAPE; AND SITUATIONAL RAPE. THE EFFECTS OF RAPE ON VICTIMS, REASONS BEHIND FAILURES TO REPORT RAPE, AND POLICE ATTITUDES REGARDING RAPE ARE DISCUSSED. AMERICAN AND ENGLISH STUDIES OF RAPE ARE COMPARED WITH THE AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE FACT AND EXPERIENCE OF RAPE ARE DIRECTLY RELATED TO SOCIALIZATION PRACTICES AND CULTURAL PATTERNS THAT DEFINE THE POSITION OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY. THAT POSITION CARRIES WITH IT STRONG CONNOTATIONS OF POWERLESSNESS THAT LEAD BOTH MEN AND WOMEN TO ACT OUT AND INTERNALIZE SOME COMMON MYTHS SURROUNDING RAPE. APPENDIXES INCLUDE THE CASE STUDY OF A TOWN WITH A HIGH INCIDENCE OF GANG RAPE AND THE TRANSCRIPTS OF INTERVIEWS WITH TWO VICTIMS. SUPPORTING DATA AND NOTES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)