Is rape wrong?

Upon typing in “Rape is wrong” into Google, I was bombarded with dozens of posts (and videos) asking questions like:

• “Is rape wrong?”
• “How bad is rape?”
• “Why is rape so bad?”

…I was shocked, disgusted, and dumbfounded. This, people, is why rape is prevalent. Rape is not an issue only for women, and some men are raped, but usually it’s a man on woman or man on man crime. 93.7% of rapists are male perpetrators. Only 6.3% of all rapists are female. The questions posted above were asked by men. Why is it that in our society, women are told to not get raped, while no one tells men to not rape. The victims continually are treated as if they’re the perpetrators, and the perpetrators walk away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. In fact, it is easier for a man having consensual sex with a minor to get on the sex offender registry than a younger man (18-25) who rapes someone. In America, we’re so busy trying to keep our teens ‘pure’, that we’re literally ignoring the women who’s innocence is taken from them. Taken, forced, stolen. 74% of females under the age of 14 who have “had sexual relations” are survivors of rape. I am continually in shock – why is rape such a minor crime? ESPECIALLY in a country that emphasizes waiting until marriage to have sex.

It angers me that men, who are part of the justice system, the rapist, our fathers, brothers, and sons aren’t standing up to rape and saying, “THIS IS WRONG. RAPE IS WRONG. Real men don’t rape.” Let’s face it, usually, men are stronger than women. We get pregnant, so we need “protectors,” especially back in neanderthal times…and this is what you do with that strength? Rape people? These rapists have wives, children, girlfriends, daughters. They aren’t all that creepy single guy that couldn’t get sex anywhere else. Let’s face it – you can get sex anywhere. SO WHY RAPE? It’s the psychology behind it that gets me (and infuriates me). Why these men (and sometimes women) are allowed back into society beats me. Even those with multiple offenses get a slap on the wrist. Usually if they’ll do it once, they’ll do it again.

Women grow up knowing rape is a possibility – are men raised knowing they may be the rapists? It brings me to tears to know that this is STILL an issue. In America, 1 in 4 women will be raped in her lifetime. I know several women who were raped.  In fact, one of them was a virgin. Her rapist won’t be on the sex offender registry, and he was 20 years old. He saw no jail time and had to pay no fines. NO ONE will know he is a rapist. Not future employers, friends, or his partner. If he wants to work in the school system, he can. His records were sealed – no one will ever know. Except her.

Rape Statistics (with citation): http://thehathorlegacy.com/rape-statistics/

Related articles

• South Korea to carry out first chemical castration on rapist (todayonline.com)
• Woman ‘kept as sex slave’ (nzherald.co.nz)
• Justice denied for sex slave (stuff.co.nz)
• A culture of coverup: rape in the ranks of the US military | Naomi Wolf (guardian.co.uk)
• Why I didn’t report my rape (trigger warning) (thefword.org.uk)