Dr Rajiv Desai

THE RAPE

January 23, 2010 by Dr Rajiv Desai

THE RAPE :
Rape is defined as a heinous crime in which an unwanted sexual intercourse/penetration is forced/coerced upon a victim without the wish/consent of the victim by an offender who could be a person known to the victim or a stranger.It is a crime even if the offender is a husband and it is a crime even if the victim did not offer resistance and it is a crime even if the victim was unconscious or conscious but under the influence of alcohol/drugs/threat/blackmail.

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Anybody can be raped including men,women,children and elderly. 91% of all rapes are committed on girls/women which will be discussed by me. Even animals like ducks/geese show rape like behavior. What the world knows is a tip of the iceberg because of the reluctance to talk on this issue and misconceptions about the rape.Rape of a woman existed in human history for thousands of years and has been a feature of human wars.Even american celebrities like Marylin Monroe and Oprah Winfrey had been rape victims.

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Mass rapes and sex slavery are considered as war crimes.Thousands of women/girls were raped in various wars/genocides, right from rape of Chinese/Korean women by Japanese army, to rape of German women by Red army, to rape of Bosnian women by Serbian militia, to rape of Tutsi women by Hutu militia in Rwanda, to rape of African tribal women by Arab militia in Darfur-Sudan etc.All societies condemn rape when their own women are victims but close their eyes when enemy’s women are raped.

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Motivation for rape could be Male-Power Dominance,anger,sexual gratification,revenge,sadism,sexual frustration,etc.Also,a motivation could be Patriarchal society where women are treated as a property/commodity which can be forcibly acquired and women has no right to refuse sex with men.Also, the rapist believes that the victim wanted sex but was reluctant to ask for it.Also, the rapist believes that the victim has loose character who wanted sex and therefore she wore provocative cloths or drank alcohol.

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American government’s official record shows that in the year 2005,111490 white women and 36620 black women were raped in america and out of 111490 rapes of white women, 44.5% offenders were white men and 33.6% offenders were black men.However,out of 36620 rapes of black women,100% offenders were black men and no white man.That means 37460 rapes of white women by black men but no rape of black woman by white man.Also,in India,rapes of white tourist women by non-white Indian men is far more common than rapes of black tourist women. It appears that some black men have inferiority complex about their colour of skin and to overcome it,they rape white women to show their superiority and dominance as a part of revenge racism.

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DISTURBING RAPE STATISTICS :
1) Most rapes are well planned and not opportunistic.
2) 1 out of 6 american women is a victim of rape/attempted rape.
3) There is 1 rape every 2 minutes in america but only 16% are reported to police.
4) Only 1 rape is reported in India out of 70 rapes and out of 5 reported rapes,only 1 rapist is convicted in India.
5) In the year 2007,20373 rapes were reported in India and 248300 rapes were reported in America.
6) 1.7 million women are raped in south africa every year.
7) 10% of all married women are raped by their husbands.
8) 1 out of 10 college women are raped and alcohol is involved in 90% of the time.
9) 1 out of 4 African men have admitted of raping women.
10) In America only 6% rapists and in India only 0.3% rapists will ever go to jail.
11) 1 out of 2 rape victims are below the age of 18 years.
12) 65% of all rapes are committed in the home of either victim or offender.
13) 32000 pregnancies occur due to rape in America every year.
14) Only 2% rape allegations are false allegations.
15) only 2% rapes are committed by strangers and rest by the persons known to victim right from her relative,friend,neighbour,acquaintance,lover,date,husband,etc.
16) Only 18% women fought back at the time of rape, 27% screamed and 55% submitted to rape without resistance.
The statistics show that there is a global pandaemic of rape in the world.

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Rape victim does not report rape because of the fear of guilt/responsibility, family/self honor,  self blame, shame, embarrassment, helplessness, denial,defamation in media, future marriage plan, threat to life, insensitivity by police, vulgar cross examination in court,etc.

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The consequences of rape to the victim include life time emotional trauma,mental trauma,physical trauma,family trauma,sexually transmitted disease including HIV,unwanted pregnancy, etc. 10% of all rape victims get sexually transmitted disease and 5% of all rape victims get pregnant.

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What should a woman do to prevent rape-circumstance?
1) Never take a drink/food from stranger.
2) Never leave your drink unattended anytime/anyplace.
3) Go to a party with friends and not alone.
4) Never leave a party alone or with someone you don’t know.
5) Do not allow a stranger to enter in your house.Always lock doors/windows.
6) Keep a light at the entrance.
7) Always look confident,strong and assertive.
8) Park your car in well lit area and lock it.Watch inside car before you enter in it.
9) If any stranger shows a gun/knife and asks a woman to enter in a car/garage/park, just run.
10) Do not walk at night in dark.
11) Carrying a pepper-spray or stun gun by a woman is helpful.

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WHAT SHOULD A WOMAN DO IF SHE IS RAPED :
Step 1) Go to a safe place away from the offender and contact family member/friend.
step 2) Do not take bath/change cloths/brush teeth/drink.
Step 3) Go to the nearest hospital immediately.
Step 4) Call police from hospital.

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DISCUSSION :
Rape is the most under-reported heinous crime in the world.All rapists know that most rapes are not reported and even if the woman gets courage to report to police, he will get away due to lack of evidence.This psychology of a rapist must be destroyed by women.If a criminal knows that his crime will not be reported,then,he will be encouraged to commit a crime.All rapes must be reported to the police/court by the victim-woman with all medical+forensic evidence.All rapes must be prosecuted in fast tract courts.This will discourage future rapist.

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The character of a victim has no bearing in a rape case.Even a prostitute can be raped if she has not given the consent for sex after accepting the money. Absence of signs of resistance does not mean that she has given the consent because the victim can be overwhelmed by the emotional shock of being raped or submitted due to fear of bodily harm/death.If she did not say ‘NO’ does not mean that she said ‘YES’. A police complaint by the victim means that she did not give consent for sex.False allegation of rape is only 2% and therefore the burden of proving false allegation lies with the alleged offender and not alleged victim.

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Even though a woman does not get orgasm during rape, the presence of orgasm does not mean that she has given consent because even during consensual sex, only 30% women get orgasm and also, involuntary orgasm can occur due to unwanted sexual stimulation.So the orgasm and the consent have no correlation and therefore the rapist can not defend rape by saying that it was a consensual sex because the victim got orgasm.

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All women must understand that it is very difficult for one man to rape one woman if she decides to fight back. Rape resistance tactics must be taught to the girls in high school/college.Every woman must think that she could be a potential rape victim and must learn self defense physical resistance tactics.Woman must take rape unhelpful body position like keeping both legs crossed or fetal position of keeping whole body flexed or start vomiting/pass urine/pass stools at the time of the attack.Woman can bite the tongue/lips of rapist, kick on his genitals, put her finger in the eye of rapist etc and discourage the offender.

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RAPE RESISTANCE STATISTICS ARE SHOCKING :
1) Women who used non-violent resistance like crying,begging,pleading were raped 96% of the time.
2) Women who used forceful verbal resistance like screaming,yelling were raped 50% of the time.
3) Women who started running were raped 15% of the time.
4) Women who used forceful physical resistance like kicking,biting were raped 14% of the time.
5) Women who threatened the offender with a gun/knife were raped 1% of the time.

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Non-virgin women who live in high probability rape-areas can use anti-rape device Rape-axe.It is a latex sheath embedded with shafts of inward bending barbs worn by woman inside her private part like a tampon.If the offender were to attempt rape, his genital organ will be trapped in the barbs giving severe pain.Another device for virgin woman is Anti-rape Chastity Belt made up of steel/leather with lock, worn like an underwear around her private part. I suggest that the chastity belt be fitted with a small digital camera to catch the image of the offender.

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THE MORAL OF THE STORY :
1) Rape is the most under-reported heinous crime in the world.
2) The best way to prevent future rape is to report present rape.
3) The best way to prevent present rape is to use forceful physical resistance against the offender.
4) Anti-rape devices like Rape-axe and Chastity belts must be freely available.
Dr.Rajiv Desai.MD.

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I am adding rape Myths to original article:

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Myths of rape:

 Myth 1: Rape only occurs between strangers in dark alleys.

Fact: This belief is problematic because it suggests that women can only be raped by those unknown to them. Statistics indicate that the vast majority of rapes are perpetuated by a person known to the victim. Many are raped in their own homes. This belief also indicates that women can prevent being raped by avoiding certain places. Rapes can occur anywhere. Women who experience such stranger rapes may be blamed because they should have known better than to place themselves in dangerous situations.

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 Myth 2: Women provoke rape by the way they dress or act.

Fact: This excuses the offender and places the blame on the victim. It suggests that women who are raped get what they are asking for. Dressing attractively and flirting is an invitation for attention, not rape.

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 Myth 3: Women who drink alcohol or use drugs are asking to be raped.

Fact: This belief blames the victim for the rape because she “chooses” to be vulnerable. If a woman is drugged, drunk or unconscious, she is hardly able to give consent.

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 Myth 4: Rape is a crime of passion.

Fact: This myth assumes that men are unable to control their sexual urges. It romanticizes the notion of rape. It suggests that only young, attractive women are raped. In reality, women of all demographics are raped. This belief also ignores the many other inciting factors of rape besides sex, including desire for power, violence, control and humiliation over one’s victim. Men rape women not because they are sex starved but because they want to dominate over women by humiliating her.

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 Myth 5: It is not rape if the woman did not fight back.

Fact: This view ignores the fact that many victims are legitimately in fear for their lives during the rape. Many cooperate with their attacker in the hopes they will be released after the attack. Intense fear can also paralyze victims and they may be unable to fight. Women who are drugged or heavily under the influence of alcohol may also be unable to fight back. As well, non-consensual intercourse does not always result in visible signs of abuse. The victim may very well have been actively resisting, but physical evidence of this may not exist. Absence of signs of resistance does not mean that it was consensual sex.

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 Myth 6: The way a woman acts afterward indicates whether or not she has truly been raped

Fact: Victims react in a number of ways after a rape. Those who appear to have a flat affect may be numb or in still in shock. Rape creates feelings of intense humiliation and shame, which may prevent victims from showing other emotions.

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 Myth 7: Women claim rape when they regret sex or want revenge.

Fact: This promotes stereotypes that women are vindictive, untruthful and capricious. While there certainly are false accusations of rape, these are not the majority. Only approximately 2% of rape cases comprise false accusations, a percentage which is lower than that of false reports for most other crimes.

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 Myth 8: Only gay men get raped/ only gay men rape other men.

Fact: This view exacerbates homophobia and promotes the notion that straight men are safe from rape. Rape is often fuelled by elements of power, dominance and control, not sexual attraction. Men of all orientations can rape and be raped. Such stigmas result in very low numbers of reported rapes by men.

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 Myth 9: Sex workers cannot be raped.

Fact: This belief justifies violence against sex workers. Sexual transactions are for consensual activities and thus sex workers must give their permission. Sex workers have just as much of a right to give consent as does the rest of society.

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 Myth 10: If the victim takes too long to report the rape, it was not rape.

Fact: This belief ignores the effect that shame and shock may have on the victim. It may take a while before she feels able to come forward about the rape. Another issue to take into consideration is cultural and religious beliefs. Women of certain cultures may be shunned or even killed by their families if they admit to being raped. A study on the lack of disclosure of sexual assault by refugees and asylum seekers offers insights to cultural influences on reporting rape.

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Dr. Rajiv Desai. MD.

March 9, 2012