Fighting Rape Culture

Fighting Rape Culture

One commonly overlooked fact of sexual assault is that in most cases the offender is someone the victim knows. It can be an acquaintance, a friend, or even an intimate partner and is most commonly a turn from consensual relations to non-consensual sex (RAINN). Given this, consider the following statement from the academic journal, “Prosecutorial Decisions in Adult Sexual Assault Cases;” “Cases involving strangers were significantly more likely to proceed than cases involving acquaintances” (Lievore, Denise). This is only the beginning of a widespread issue that is pervasive throughout our entire society, and leads to loaded terms such as “legitimate rape,” to be uttered by none other than our very own politicians (Moore, Lori), and parroted by the ill informed and uneducated public. It is an issue that leads to victims being blamed for their own rape, and being held accountable for a man's loss of self-control. More than that, this issue leads to questioning victims about their circumstances, rather than questioning offenders about their actions and ultimately leads to a controlled state of fear in women, of the opposite sex. Rape culture is evident in our society from the way we treat real live rape victims. Blaming them for their actions while simultaneously upholding offenders as victims of sexual teasing and promoting rape as a tolerant form of recompense. Better education on the nature of sexual harassment as well as stricter consequences for rape offenders are just some of the ways to fight the growing acceptance of rape within our society.

Most people do not realize the subtleties of what rape culture entails or how prevalent it actually is in the United Sates. One instance of Rape Culture happens when we as a society blame a victim for her assault either directly or indirectly. For instance, when reporting on the outcome of a juvenile rape case in Staubenville, Ohio, CNN's reporters focused on the “lasting impact” that being labeled a sex offender would have on one of the teenage defendants. They referred more than once to “lives being ruined” and stunningly, they weren't talking about the victim. In fact the victim was barely referred to at all, and her personal trauma was never even touched on (Edwards, David). In addition to the lack of sympathy for the victim of this crime, the news reporters put more emphasis on alcohol than on any other point. Poppy Marlow can clearly be heard saying; “These alcohol fueled parties, alcohol huge parties.” This comment alone shows a perceived forgiveness for rape when it happens under the right circumstances.

However, the truly disturbing part of this story is that it isn't an isolated incident. Rape crimes generally garner the wrong kind of attention from the media, and often become the base for popular opinion. A good example of this can be seen in a new york times report on the gang rape of an eleven year old girl. Such a reprehensible act should have left no sympathy for the involved parties, but when the new york times' James Mckinley reported on it, he somehow managed to highlight all the wrong details. The article begins with an objective observation by listing the priors of some of those involved. Clearly indicating that some of the participants were hardened criminals who knew exactly what they were doing. From there however, the story takes a quick leap to the unbelievable by asking the following: “How could their young men have been drawn into such an act?” Such a question alone makes it seem like these young men somehow aren't responsible for their actions and that there had to have been some circumstance that 'made them do it,' rather than facing the fact that these young men are responsible and were fully in control of their actions and simply chose to participate in this heinous crime. Sadly, this isn't just the opinion of the author of the article as statements from nearby residents seemed more concerned with how this would affect their community than they were with the actual crime. While certain statements outright lay the fault at the eleven year old's feet, “Residents in the neighborhood where the abandoned trailer stands — known as the Quarters — said the victim had been visiting various friends there for months. They said she dressed older than her age, wearing makeup and fashions more appropriate to a woman in her 20s” (Mckinley).

As if having media outlets and local residents spin crimes around on victims wasn't enough, popular belief seems to have taken the same thought patterns to its own level. On a follow up story of the same crime that included the disclosure that the girl involved had admitted to being a willing participant, a good portion of the comments section set about defining exactly how responsible the victim actually was. This included statements that many eleven year old’s are sexually active and completely aware of what they are getting into as well as erroneous definitions of rape, and several opinions alluding that the girl did know what she was doing (Campbell, Andy). While many others picked up on exactly what was wrong with these statements, the fact that they are there at all, is a telling indication on exactly how our society views rape and sexual assault. Where even a child can halter the blame for a gang rape if she says the wrong thing or hangs out in the wrong areas.

Rape Culture also takes place when our very judicial system fails to take sexual assault seriously, and spends more time looking for an excuse to not go forward with a case than investigating the actual crime. For instance RAINN reports that, “Factoring in unreported rapes, only about 3% of rapists will ever serve a day in prison.” Some might argue that if more women reported rape when it happened more convictions would take place. However, a quick look at the facts shows otherwise. Of the women who do report, very few actually lead to a conviction (RAINN), which in turn is why so many go unreported in the first place. So why is it that it is seemingly impossible to gain a conviction on what should be a clear cut case? After all, we have rape kits to provide DNA evidence, as well as physical trauma, don't we? In fact the word of the victim as well as individual circumstance plays a much larger role in sexual assault cases than the actual evidence. When a CBS investigator questioned a prosecutor on why a DNA kit taken from a survivor was never tested, he replied that “it wouldn't have made the case either way,” and stated that the victims lack of memory recall and the involvement of alcohol made the case “unwinnable” (qtd in Sanders, Rob). The very idea that physical evidence can't trump stereotypes about rape and alcohol, is very nearly absurd, but it is clearly what the majority of law enforcement believes given what CBS' five month investigation actually revealed. “A staggering number of rape kits -- that could contain incriminating DNA evidence -- have never been sent to crime labs for testing. At least 20,000 untested kits: 5,600 in Detroit. 3,800 in Houston. 5,100 in San Antonio, 1,100 in Albuquerque” (Keteyian, Armen). One of the reasons cited for this is the cost: “up to $1,500 a kit,” but not testing these kits is an issue of public safety, and shows just how willing we are to look the other way in crimes that largely concern the well being and safety of women. This isn't the only example of the lack of investigation in sexual assault. The article, “4 Victims of Sexual Assault Tell of Treatment by Police,” is a horrifying example of how victims are treated by law enforcement officials. The article showcases the personal stories of four different women involved in a sexual assault case, where the police and prosecutors looked at them with skepticism, belittled their situation, interrogated them, and outright ignored their pleas for help. In each case, the police either lied about an ongoing investigation, claimed the paperwork was missing or simply ignored the phone calls of victims (Eligon, John). The idea that sexual assault is demeaned by our own upholders of law should be a warning signal to us all.

Of course, no one expects these issues to be solved overnight. A close look at the facts though, provides some insight on how we can combat this widespread problem. For instance, most states lack education on consent in sex ed classes, which instead focus mainly on STD's, contraception, and in certain states, abstinence only. Few, if any touch on when it is okay to have sex, what a healthy relationship is, or what consent entails (SEICUS). This very important concept leaves youths lacking the necessary information to make the right decisions, to respect each other, and to develop an understanding between genders, of what behavior is acceptable and what is not. Since most states already have a required sex education class, it wouldn't be too difficult to implement these factors into an already established curriculum. Another solution that might take more doing, is to better hold offenders accountable for their actions. Something that New York alone has proven can be done by finally testing their backlog of rape kits, “today New York City's arrest rate for rape is 70 percent - triple the national average” (Keteyian). This statement alone shows how vital DNA evidence is in sexual assault cases. The fact that the arrest rate tripled over the national average, makes it clear that the overall gain in public safety and the apprehension of suspects, easily outdoes any financial concerns. Another approach would be to put more pressure on police officials to take these crimes more seriously and to insure proper investigations. A bill currently being introduced to Washington, DC, seeks to do just that, as well as offer “transparency” by offering the right to have an advocate present at all times and an outside consultant ready to review cases to insure they are being handled properly (US Hope For Sexual Survivors in DC).

In conclusion, rape culture is when we as a society, blame victims for their assault and spend more time questioning the victim's circumstances than we do investigating the actual crime. Rape culture is prevalent throughout our society, from a news media that gives more sympathy and attention to rapists than to victims, to internet conversations arguing over the amount of blame a victim should share in her own assault. It is exacerbated by a judicial system that fails to take sexual assault seriously and often denies victims justice and keeps potential rapists on the streets to foster an unsafe environment, despite clear access to crucial evidence. Some solutions for combating the culture of rape would be to ensure better education of our youths on sex and consent, something that could easily be implemented into an already established educational course. One other workable solution would be to insure more investigative resources go towards gaining justice for offenders by both properly testing evidence presented and by offering more support through law enforcement to victims of sexual assault.

Works Cited

Campbell, Andy. "Gang-Rape Victim Compared By Texas Defense Attorney To 'Spider' Who Lured In Jared Len Cruse, Suspects." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 28 Nov. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2014

Edwards, David. "CNN Grieves That Guilty Verdict Ruined ‘promising’ Lives of Steubenville Rapists.” rawstory.com. The Raw Story. 17 Mar. 2013. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.

Eligon, John. "4 Victims of Sex Assault Tell of Treatment by Police." The New York Times. The New York Times, 02 June 2010. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.

Gaiman, Neil. "The Offendenders: Rape isn't a Marked Stranger." | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN. n.d. Web. 4 Apr. 2014.

Keteyian, Armen. “Exclusive: Rape in America: Justice Denied.” Cbsnews.com. CBS News. 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.

Lievore, Denise. “Prosecutorial Decisions in Adult Sexual Assault Cases.” Woden: Australian Institute of Criminology, 2005. ProQuest. Web. 1 Apr. 2014.

Mckinley, James. "Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town." The New York Times. The New York Times, 08 Mar. 2011. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.

Moore, Lori. "Rep. Todd Akin: The Statement and the Reaction." The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2014.

"Reporting Rates."| RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN, n.d. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

"State Profiles 2010: A Portrait of Sexuality Education and Abstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs in the States (Fiscal Year 2010 Edition)." SIECUS. Seicus.org, 2010. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.

"US: Hope for Sexual Assault Survivors in DC." Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch. 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.