The Re-definition of Rape

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how historically, the concept of rape has severed to protect a man's right to exclusive sexual access to his woman, while the feminist re-definition of rape empowers women to assert control over their own bodies. This paper also reviews various reactions to this re-definition of rape and discusses the effects that rape has on a victim.

From the Paper:

"Criminology indicated that date rape was an under-reported crime (Date pp). Vanstone highlighted the fact that sex through physical violence is clearly viewed as rape, date rape, on the other hand, may not involve physical violence (Date pp). There are other forms other forms of coercion to obtain sex that is also considered rape, such as "fear of violence, detention, intoxication with alcohol or a drug, and deception can all be factors relevant to whether the woman has consented (Date pp). Vanstone said that date rape has been an offence for a very long time, yet only recently has been acknowledged as a serious social problem (Date pp). According to a 1996 survey, almost 90 percent of rape victims know the perpetrator, and of these victims, some 25 percent were the current partner, boyfriend or date of the victim in the twelve months prior to the survey, and if previous partners are added in, the percentage is as high as 37 percent (Date pp). However, date rape is rarely reported to law enforcement authorities, and most surveys indicate that the number of sexual assaults reported to the police are only the tip of the iceberg (Date pp). "

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