Rape

According to the U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey, 261,000 rapes and sexual assaults occurred in the United States in the year 2000.¹ That translates into about one rape every six minutes.² Sixty-two percent of victims reported that they knew their attacker.³ The National College Women Sexual Victimization Study revealed that 2.8% of college women experienced rape during the six month period in which the study was conducted and that 9 in 10 of the victims of rape and sexual assault knew their offender.⁴ The Department of Justice estimates that only 26% of all rapes or attempted rapes are reported to the police.⁵ Less than 5% of completed or attempted rapes against college women were reported to law enforcement officials.⁶ In the courts of the world, rape is the least punished of violent crimes - that is, if it's even against the law. Some countries, such as Malaysia, have explicit exemptions for marital rape. Even in the U.S., it wasn't until 1993 that marital rape became a crime in all 50 states.⁷ Rape also continues to be employed as a military tactic in armed struggle and displacement of peoples due to war.⁸ For countless girls and women worldwide, the intimate act of sexual engagement is not a matter of free will. They are robbed of their basic rights by forced and unwanted sexual contact, often violent, sometimes fatal, always traumatic. Nearly one-third of rape victims develop Rape-Related Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (RR-PTSD) at some point in their lifetimes, and 13% actually attempt suicide.⁹

Some good news on the activism front comes from the V-Day initiative, sparked by Eve Ensler, author of the brilliant and controversial play "The Vagina Monologues." The initiative sponsors a Stop Rape Contest and raises money through benefit performances that have included such celebrities as Glenn Close, Desiree, Calista Flockhart, Whoopi Goldberg, Alanis Morissette, Rosie Perez and Susan Sarandon.

Actions, Information & Opportunities to Help

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Facts, stats and historical data can all be found at the following sites. Links to sites especially for men too:

• Anti-Violence Resource Guide
• National Center for Victims of Crime - sexual violence statistics
• Gift From Within - An International Charity for Survivors of Trauma and Victimization
• History of Marital Rape Laws from "Women of Achievment and Herstory"
• Male Responsibility for Rape And Rape Awareness
• National Clearinghouse on Marital and Date Rape/Women's History Library
• National Sexual Violence Resource Center - April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month
• Legal Help for Sexual Assault
• U.N. Report of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women
• WAR and RAPE: A Digest Of Referenced Articles on Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict
• What Men Can Do To Stop Rape

¹Rennison, Callie. Criminal Victimization 2000 Changes 1999-2000 with Trends 1993-2000. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 2001.
²RAINN calculation based on U.S. Deptartment of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey 2000.
³U.S. Department of Justice National Crime Victimization Survey 2000, as cited on RAINN.org.
⁴Fisher, Bonnie, Francis Cullen, Michael Turner. The Sexual Victimization of College Women. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice and Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, 2000.
⁵Feminist.com's Anti-Violence Resource Guide. "Facts About Violence." http://www.feminist.com/antiviolence
⁶Ibid.
⁷Bergen, Raquel Kennedy, Ph.D. "Marital Rape." Violence Against Women Online Resources, a cooperative project of Violence Against Women Office, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice and Minnesota Center Against Violence & Abuse within the School of Social Work at the University of Minnesota. March 1999.
⁸"On Sexual Violence and Armed Conflict: Unparalleled military violence against women at the dawn of the third millennium." War and Rape: A Digest of Referenced Articles. Prepared by: Janet M. Eaton, PhD. February 8, 2000
⁹National Center for Victims of Crime and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1992.

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