Rape

arrests. Only 11 percent of assaults involve some type of weapon. Most rapists know their victim and a fourth of rapes happen between intimate partners.

The definition of what constitutes consent varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In Canada, for example, consent means the voluntary agreement to engage in the activity in question. There is no consent when the perpetrator uses their position of trust or authority over the victim, when the victim later refuses what they initially agreed to, when the victim expresses they do not want to engage in sexual activity, and when the victim cannot give proper consent because of their mental, physical, or emotional status.

RAPE

Rape, as mentioned, involves some type of penetrative act that happens because of abuse of authority, coercion, physical force, or the incapability of the victim to give consent. The incapability of giving consent can be because of the age of the victim being below the age of consent, unconsciousness, intellectual disability, or incapacitation.

Culturally, the rate of rape in a population differs greatly in different countries. As mentioned, most rape is between people who know each other, with prison rape and rape during wartime being especially prevalent.

Most jurisdictions indicate that rape is an act of sexual penetration. Historically, rape did not always mean intercourse or even sexual intent. It was considered to be just an act committed by a man against a woman by the FBI until 2012. This was changed to involve penetration of any type by anything or any body part of the anus or vagina, or of the genital organs into the mouth. Gender of the perpetrators and victims are not described.

Victims of rape can be of many different types, including different sexual orientations, ethnicity, ages, genders, degrees of impairment, disability, culture, and geographical location. The different types of rape described as subcategories include incestual rape, sexual assault on a child, date rape, gang rape, prison rape, marital rape, statutory rape, and acquaintance rape. It can be present with or without physical injury to the victim.

Duress is often a part of rape. This can be the threat of violence, force, or the presumption of consent. Blackmail itself can be a type of duress as can abuse of power. Some countries define rape in terms of coercion without even mentioning consent.

Marital rape is often a part of domestic violence. It was once not considered criminal behavior but is now criminalized in many but not all countries. Even where it is illegal, it is often more tolerated than other types of rape. It is not prosecutable in some states of the US.

According to the World Health Organization, there are several factors that lead to the motivations behind rape. These include poor legal sanctions against sexual violence, male entitlement in a society, beliefs about family honor, anger, sexual gratification, power, and sadism. Many rapists are hypermasculine, have poor empathy, and desire control over women. Men who perpetrate believe they are somehow rewarded among male peers. Gang rape can be done to punish immoral behavior as perceived by men of women.

There are many ill effects on the victims of rape, including reproductive issues, STDs, infertility, and sexual dysfunction. Psychological effects include psychosomatic disorders, depression, anxiety, and an increased risk of suicide. Some victims deny they have been raped, especially if they were psychologically coerced. There is confusion about what constitutes rape and a general lack of uniform legal definitions of the actions.

Most victims will freeze up while being raped, although others will become extremely passive and still others will fight. These are all common survival mechanisms. Many victims believe that, if they did not struggle or call for help, they were not actually raped, which is not the case. Some individuals dissociate during the rape and, perhaps most confusing for the victim, is having an orgasm during the incident.

After the rape, victims will have typical symptoms of PTSD, including an exaggerated startle response, numbness, and high levels of anxiety. Severe symptoms are seen if the victim’s life was threatened, the victim is very old or very young, and if the rapist is someone they already knew. If there is lack of social support or blaming the victim, the symptoms are also likely to be severe.

The treatment of the victim after the assault can worsen the trauma they experience, particularly if the victim is held partially responsible or blamed. Certain attitudes toward victims in a society can underly this problem. Some believe that the lack of resistance of the victim is token reinforcement of the crime, which leads to victim blaming. Gender role stereotyping can make it difficult for a man to feel like he was the victim of rape. In some cultures in the world, the victim is physically threatened or killed by their family after being raped—a phenomenon known as honor killing.

While many rapes do not result in actual physical injury, genital and non-genital injuries can occur. Non-genital injuries include gunshot or stab wounds, bites, bruising, and scratching. The goal of treatment is to both treat the injuries and gather forensic information with the patient’s consent. The gathering of evidence does not necessarily mean that the victim must file a legal complaint. The chain of evidence, however, is nevertheless preserved.

Genital injuries do not have to be present but can happen in rape. Injuries can happen to the mouth, anus, vulva, or vagina. Swabs are taken of the mouth, anus, and vagina for DNA and other physical evidence of rape. Genital injuries are more common in women after menopause and in young children. Children can have scarring if the trauma was severe or repetitive. STDs cannot be detected until a minimum of 72 hours have passed.

There is likely to be emotional after-effects following a rape that will be apparent in the immediate hours. Other effects do not occur until some period of time has passed. Anxiety, fear, eating disorders, depression, anger, PTSD, suicidal ideation, and sexual disorders can follow a rape experience. For some victims, there will be counseling, shelters, and hotlines that can be helpful. Professional treatment in an individual or group setting will often be necessary.

Perpetrators themselves may be required to have treatment. Some will respond to treatment, while others will not. Motivations for rape perpetration are complex and often involve a look into the perpetrator’s developmental background. Some will have an abuse history themselves, which can be addressed. Child and adolescent offenders are