NCJ Number
108439
Date Published
1987
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This overview of sexual assault identifies popular rape myths, describes rape trauma syndrome, outlines preventive measures, and reviews rape-related reform legislation.
Abstract
Some rape myths are that it is a crime of passion, that cautious women do not get raped, that rape is impossible if the woman resists, that women want to be raped, that the rapist is usually a stranger, that women invite rape by acting seductively, and that false rape accusations are prevalent. The prevalent, long-term psychologically debilitating impact of rape on the victim is termed the rape trauma syndrome. The syndrome includes fear, anger, acute physical symptoms, shame, guilt, self-blame, mood swings, and difficulty in managing daily affairs. Rape preventive measures include the avoidance of rape opportunities and dangerous situations, immediate protective action when a stranger is acting suspiciously or a dating situation is getting out of control, and avoidance of the appearance of vulnerability. If assaulted the victim should attempt to stay alert to escape opportunities, attract attention, and remember that the rapist is totally responsible for the attack. Rape-related reform laws have focused on restricting defense evidence of the victim's past sexual relations, removing the resistance requirement as an element of rape, redefining rape to encompass a greater number of coercive sexual acts, and revising penalty structures according to offense severity. Resource information and 14-item bibliography.