They’ve walked in Toronto, Boston, Los Angeles and Chicago. They’ve marched through London, Amsterdam, Sao Paulo and Stockholm. They’re even organizing in Cape Town. And now, women walking to reclaim the word slut and end the practice of victim blaming are moving East–toward India. As the SlutWalk movement grows, its recent expansion to India with […]
Rape Is Rape Campaign
Drugs, Alcohol and Serial Rapists: Another True Tale That Might Not Be Counted
As we’ve reported extensively in recent weeks, the FBI uses the archaic definition of “forcible” rape in its yearly Uniform Crime Report (UCR): “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” Many police departments interpret the definition to exclude victims who were under the influence of drugs or alcohol, because of the […]
Oral Rapes Are Real Rapes
Oral rape is among the many forms of rape that the FBI does not officially count under its narrow definition of rape: “the carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” Today, a Ms. reader shares her story of being orally raped to help bring home the reality of the hundreds of thousands […]
Would Your Rape Be Counted?
At least 1 in 6 women in the U.S. will be raped in their lifetime. An estimated 1 in 10 rape victims are male, and studies have suggested that 1 in 2 transgender people will be sexually assaulted. But unless a rape fits the FBI’s 82-year-old definition, “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and […]
If a Woman Isn’t Bruised and Bleeding, Will Her Rape Be Counted?
In late January, U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) sparked outrage when he introduced the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act (H.R. 3), which sought to further restrict abortion funding for all women. But what also angered feminists was that, in drafting an exception to allow abortion funding for survivors of rape, the bill defined “real” […]
The FBI’s Definition of Rape: Older Than a Lot of Things
The FBI has been using this definition of rape for its Uniform Crime Report since 1929: The carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will. That definition excludes victims of forced anal or oral sex, rape with an object, statutory rape and male rape. And that definition hasn’t been changed in 82 years. […]
Rape Is Rape: No More Excuses!
In the battle against Rep Chris Smith’s “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” feminists and other advocates successfully agitated to keep the term “forcible” rape from defining who gets federal money for abortions. But did you know we’re still fighting the war to get “forcible rape” removed from our national lexicon? Since 1929, the FBI […]
Woman Pays for Reporting a Rape
In 2008, an 18-year-old woman in Washington State reported to police that she had been sexually assaulted. But they didn’t believe her. Lynnwood Police Chief Steve Jensen said that her story changed, her details were inconsistent and that people who knew the victim expressed doubts about her story. So the police charged her with false […]
She Drinks, She Flirts, She Passes Out … Is It Rape?
Trigger warning: Material about sexual assault. Around midnight at a college party, several young women soccer players are alerted that a 17-year-old girl is barricaded in a room with eight guys on the baseball team. Through a window, the women glimpse what looks like an assault. They batter down the door and, as the men […]