Imagine a gathering of 207,754 people. Nine out of ten of these people are female. 44% of them are under the age of 18. These are our mothers, daughters, sister and even grandmothers. Even though they make up a very small percentage, this group also includes our fathers, brothers, and sons. This gathering represents the survivors of sexual assault within the United States in 2010. The most frightening aspect of this scenario is that this group only represents the portion of those sexual assaults reported. 54% of sexual assault victims never report the incident but instead opt to suffer silently.
It is likely that someone close to you has been a victim regardless of whether they have disclosed the assault. One in six females have experienced a form of sexual assault. Although this crime is brutal and can be very damaging, 97% of rapists will never serve a day in jail. As Americans, we are now living in what is considered to be a “rape culture”. The acceptance of sexual aggression in men, the minimizing of the serious nature involving sexual assaults, and habitual demoralization of women are just a few of the characteristics of a rape culture. It has crept into every aspect of our lives and in many ways, has become an acceptable enmity of everyday life. It’s important that we amend our society and adopt a culture that empowers victims of sexual assault rather than re-victimizing them.
After a sexual assault occurs, a victim is faced with the decision of which course of action to pursue. Sadly, only 46% of rapes are reported to the authorities. Victims choose not to report these crimes for a multitude of reasons. Some fear retribution from the assailant, some fear being accused of false reporting, while others are simply too ashamed of having the crime committed against them and fear the judgments of others.
Imagine a woman who has just been raped. Since violence is often used in this crime in order to control the victim, she may have been physically assaulted by the assailant with their body alone or possibly a weapon. Two out of three rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. After having the power of choice taken from her and her body violated, she must now worry about the reaction of others to what has happened to her. This is a common reaction in a rape culture. Ideally, this woman could report the crime to the authorities with no worries of consequences and receive the reassurance of protection, the assistance of trained profession that specialize in sexual assault, and a sense of relief that her assailant will be brought to justice. Rather than offer such support and protection, our culture has become one in which the burden of rape is often left upon the victim. We blame the assault on the way the victim may have been dressed or presented herself. Rationally, it shouldn’t matter how a woman is dressed, how she is behaving, or whether she is under the influence of drugs or alcohol when it comes to the unwanted violation of a person’s body. Granted, such behavior may be putting an individual at greater risk of being sexually assaulted, it does not shift the blame of the crime from the rapist to the victim. A reevaluation of the perception of rape victims would increase the likelihood of rapes being reported, which in turn would result in a decline of rapes committed. Also, removing the false assumption that rape is acceptable depending on how a woman behaves is crucial for lasting change.
Shifting the blame from rapist to victim is not the only way our society devalues an individual after the crime occurs. After a rape occurs and is reported authorities generally urge the person who has been victimized to consent to a rape kit. A rape kit is used to collect evidence left behind by the assailant on the victim’s body. This evidence aids in the prosecution of the attacker. The rape kit is a very important tool that can be used within the court system to seek justice for a crime. DNA is collected from the victim’s body and blood samples are taken to be examined for a variety of drugs that the attacker may have used on the victim for purpose of incapacitation.
In theory, completing this rape kit is an important step towards proving that a rape has occurred and thus potentially identifying the rapist. Realistically there are many ways a rape kit may be found to be insufficient. If the directions within the rape kit are not precisely followed, the results are considered invalid. This, of course, is not the result of our rape culture in so much as the risk taken when a rape kit is submitted to outside processing centers. After a rape kit is completed at the hospital, a police officer is sent to obtain the kit and submit it into evidence. After the kit is logged into evidence, it is then sent for processing by an outside service lab that tests the contents of the kit for DNA, fibers, and any other evidence that could be used to prosecute. The major dysfunction involving this essential step is the reality that rape kits are backlogged within many police departments instead of being sent directly to the outside service lab. The actual number of back logged kits are unknown due to lack of protocol enforced by the government but an estimated 180,000 kits remain untested, some dating back to the 1980s.
Police departments often defend themselves by claiming it is the lack of funding by the federal government that causing the backlog. Indeed the cost to process a rape kit ranges from $800 to $1,200. Considering that the average rapist is a habitual offender of the crime though, it seems the cost of processing a rape kit in a timely manner would be a wise investment of funds. Not only would the evidence collected by these rape kits provide a strong case against a rapist, but it would also increase the chances of an alleged rapist being imprisoned for the crime committed.
Victims should be reassured that the police departments are taking every opportunity to seek justice. 180,000 back logged rape kits simply do not portray assurance. Does the government not see rape as a serious enough offense to take appropriate action against? Is processing these kits not a top priority? This is just another example of the rape culture. The tools exist yet we allow a price tag to prevent us from using them.
The impact of the rape culture is so extensive that it would be quite impossible for me to cover every aspect of its influence here. It is often a misconception that the rape culture portrays men as the enemy and targets them as the driving force behind the spread of the attitudes behind this sexually aggressive movement. In truth men also fall victim to this culture’s destructive nature. Three percent of the American male population will experience rape. Because of the nature of rape culture, most male victims of sexual assault will never report the incident. Society characterizes masculinity as being powerful and aggressive. It is often more difficult for men to report sexual assault because it brings the male’s sexuality under scrutiny and labels them as “weak”. Establishing an awareness of antiquated gender roles is crucial to make it more socially acceptable for men to report such assaults as well.
A Note from the Writer
I am a strong advocate for transforming this sexually aggressive culture. I was also once a victim of sexual assault and now consider myself a survivor of rape. I’ve been subjected to the mistreatment of sexual assault victims first hand. I’ve suffered through a rape kit, which is an atrocious and appalling experience to endure after being sexually assaulted, all the while aware that any evidence collected as a result was likely to be back logged, possibly for decades. I can assure you that it is frustrating and devastating. It had even been insinuated by a police officer that I caused my own rape. Before my experience, I was blissfully ignorant to the trauma a victim experiences even after their assault. After educating myself on the different aspects of the rape culture, I am now aware of its evidence everywhere. It’s all too evident when a woman is condemned for her choice in clothing as justification for such a heinous crime or when a public figure is accused of committing a sexual assault only to have the case dissolve without consequences. Rape culture has depersonalized sexual assaulted victims and has altered the fundamental standards our nation was once built upon in terms of appropriate and acceptable behavior. Our society as a whole has created this monster and I’m of the opinion that it is going to take our entire society to put an end to it.