Acquaintance Rape
77% of completed rapes
are committed by non-strangers (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1997).
31% of rape victims
develop some form of Rape-related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. (National Center for
Victims of Crime & Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1992).
Overview
When most people think of
rape, they visualize an unknown lunatic violently dragging a defenseless person into a
dark alley. This is a very inaccurate portrayal. Almost four out of five rapes are
committed by attackers who knew or recognized their victims (National Center for Victims
of Crime & Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, 1992).
Acquaintance rape is a
sexual assault by an individual known to the victim. Another term "date rape"
is a sexual assault by an individual with whom the victim has a "dating"
relationship and the sexual assault occurs in the context of this relationship. Many of
these rapes are violent, and all are coercive in nature.
The perpetrators of
acquaintance rape do not fit an easily recognized profile. However, some similar
characteristics have been found in acquaintance rapists including:
A propensity toward
violence in problem-solving;
Aggressiveness in intimate
relationships; and
Being overly demanding of
partners.
While most victims of
acquaintance rape are female, males can also be the victims of this type of sexual
assault. Victims of acquaintance rape come from every socio-economic, cultural, religious
and racial background.
Many myths incorrectly
characterize rape victims as "sexually loose" individuals who are "asking
for it." On the contrary, victims of acquaintance rape are victims of violence and
domination. The prejudicial myths and attitudes surrounding rape victims are what hinder
the criminal justice system. Quite often the evidence depends on the victim's word against
that of the rapist's; therefore, instead of the offender being tried, the victim's morals,
lifestyle, dress and actions are put on trial. As a result, convictions are difficult to
get, and police and prosecutors are often reluctant to pursue acquaintance rape cases.
Another factor in the
reluctance of the criminal justice system to pursue acquaintance rape cases is that
alcohol is often involved. One study found that 75 percent (75%) of the males and 50
percent (50%) of the females involved in college campus acquaintance rapes had been
drinking when the sexual assault occurred (Bohmer & Parrot, 1993). Social standards
condemn individuals for getting drunk and place blame on them when they are raped while
drinking any alcohol, regardless of whether they were intoxicated at the time of the
assault. In reality, whether the victim is drinking or not, the simple act of saying
"no" means just that no consent has been given. If the victim is
intoxicated, then there can be no capacity to consent. However, the voluntary intoxication
of an offender cannot be used as a legal defense for committing the crime of sexual
assault.
Victims of acquaintance
rape face problems which are very specific to their type of victimization. Because the
rapists may have been a part of their lives or someone with whom they socialize, victims
often have to face their assailants after the rapes causing distress, fear and humiliation
for the victim.
Victims of acquaintance
rape frequently blame themselves for a violent crime over which they had no control.
Because the assailants are previously known to them, many victims hold themselves
accountable for not having better judged the character of their perpetrators, or for
allowing themselves to be in the situation in which the rape occurred. Acquaintance rape
victims also experience an extreme violation of trust because this individual they allowed
into their life violated all that trust and committed a horrible crime against them.
The trauma caused by
acquaintance rape is no less severe than the trauma that is associated with rape by
a stranger. Victims can suffer physically, emotionally and financially. Rape-related
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, a condition suffered by almost one-third of all rape
victims, includes sleeping and eating disorders, nervousness, fatigue, withdrawal from
society and distrust of others. Many victims suffer from one or several of these symptoms,
and some victims are affected for many years.
Many acquaintance rape
victims never reach out for the services and assistance they need in the aftermath
of their victimization. Only 16 percent (16%) of rape victims report the crime to the
police (National Center for Victims of Crime & Crime Victims Research and
Treatment Center, 1992). When victims do step forward and report, they are often not
believed or experience difficulty in receiving proper services.
Victims of
acquaintance rape need a variety of rights and services including:
Victims also need
information about the criminal case during the investigation, trial and corrections
system, as well as information about the offender's known HIV/AIDS status.
Acquaintance rape victims
have myriad concerns. The fear of being blamed, fear of their families, friends or the
general public knowing about their victimization, or a sense of futileness due to the
belief that justice will not be served prevent many victims from coming forward.
Preventing secondary victimizations to acquaintance rape victims by the criminal justice
system and society is a major concern of the victims' rights movement.
References
Bureau of Justice
Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice (1994). Criminal Victimization in the
United States.
Bohmer, Carol and Andrea
Parrot. (1993). Sexual Assault on Campus. New York: Lexington Books.
National Center for Victims
of Crime and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. (1992). Rape in America: A
Report to the Nation. Arlington, VA.
For additional
information, please contact:
National Coalition Against
Sexual Assault
912 North Second Street
Harrisburg, PA 17102
(717) 232 - 7460
National Crime Victims
Research and Treatment Center
Medical University of South Carolina
171 Ashley Avenue
Charleston, SC 29425-0742
(843) 792 - 2945
Center for Women Policy
Studies
2000 P Street, NW, Suite 508
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 872 - 1770
Your local rape crisis
center:
Check in the front of your local phone book under "Community Services Numbers"
or "Emergency Assistance Numbers."
Your state Attorney
General, county/city prosecutor, or county/city law enforcement:
Check in the Blue Pages of your local phone book under the appropriate section heading
of either "Local Governments," "County Governments," or "State
Government."
INFOLINK ©: A Program of the National Center for
Victims of Crime.
All rights
reserved.
Copyright ©
1998 by the National Center for Victims of Crime. This information may be freely
distributed, provided that it is distributed in its entirety and includes this copyright
notice.
