"If the occurrence of rape were audible, its decibel
level equal to its frequency, it would overpower our days and nights, interrupt
our meals, our bedtime stories, howl behind our love-making, an insistent
jackhammer of distress. We would demand an end to it. And if we failed to
locate its source, we would condemn the whole structure. We would refuse to
live under such conditions." - Patricia Weaver Francisco, Telling: A
Memoir of Rape and Recovery Dictionary Definitions
Rape: Sexual intercourse
with a woman by a man without her consent and chiefly by force or deception.
Statutory rape: Sexual
intercourse with a female who is below the statutory age of consent.
Consent: Compliance in
or approval of what is done or proposed by another.
Different Kinds of Rape
Stranger Rape: A person
who the victim does not know rapes her. Example*: Rose, age 25, was accosted at
knife point in a shopping mall parking lot and forced by a stranger into his
car. He drove her to a rural area, raped her, stabbed her five times, set the
car on fire, and left her. Although severely injured, she survived (*examples
from The Rape Victim: Clinical & Community Intervention Koss & Harvey,
1991).
Acquaintance Rape: The
victim knows her attacker, although he is not a close friend or family member.
Example: Susan, age 23, went to the door of her house to find a man she
recognized from one of her college classes. She opened the door to let him in
the house, whereupon he threw her on the sofa and raped her.
Date Rape: The victim is
dating the person who rapes her. Example: Diana, age 50, was vacationing in the
Caribbean. She spent some of her time learning sailing and walking along the
beach with a fellow guest. At a hotel dance, she danced with this man, and he
asked her to walk outside. Once on the beach, this 6'4" man asked to have
sex and forced her to cooperate by holding her down. Diana was too afraid to
resist.
Multiple Rape (gang
rape): The victim is raped by more than one man. Example: Ann, age
21, was at a friend's home with a group of her peers. There were three men, one
other woman, and herself present. When the other woman left, the three men
raped her.
Marital Rape: The victim
is raped by her husband. Example: A woman recently had gynecological surgery.
Two days after she came home from the hospital, her husband forced her to have
sexual intercourse. This caused her to hemorrhage; she was re-hospitalized.
"rape" in the eyes of the law
Back to top
Share your story |
What is rape/sexual assault |
Telling what happened
Guilt & Shame | The side effects | Who's to
blame | Treatment & Healing
Poetry & Quotations |
Self-defense | Legal
issues | Family & Friends
Tori Amos | Email me
|
