India's National Crime Records Bureau reveals that registered rape cases increased by almost 900 percent over the past 40 years which adds up to 24,206 incidents in 2011. However, just over a quarter of the cases resulted in convictions.

Situation in the UK and the US

Do we have similar issues in the UK? Obviously, the situation isn’t as bad, but it is very serious too. Rapes and sexual assaults are treated as serious crimes in the UK whilst in India sexual assaults and raping attract less attention. It is only since Delhi incident when media and public started to pay more attention to these crimes in India.

A website called “Truth About Rape” which is a group of women who campaigns and are committed to change the way society understands rape. Truth About Rape reveals that the police recorded 7,707 incidents of rape in 1999, and the figure had risen to 14,000 in 2010. Simple math, it has nearly doubled.

Truth About Rape also disclose shocking facts, ALL referring to the UK:

  • rape is the only crime where the victim is routinely humiliated in court;
  • rape victims here are routinely disbelieved;
  • in 2004, Judge Michael Roach called a 12 year old girl a “willing participant” in sex;
  • juries consider the lifestyle and sexual history of the victim more relevant than the sexual history of the rapist;
  • women are jailed for shoplifting, while men who rape walk free;
  • there is a 24-hour drink helpline, but no national Rape Crisis helpline.

There are many myths about rape and people still believe in them. Many think that it happens only to young and attractive women, but rapecrisis.org.uk denies the myths and states the facts:

  • women are raped from the age of three to ninety three in the UK and it; rape is an act of violence, not sex;
  • most people think that women usually are raped outside, in dark alleyways at night by strangers. The fact is that only 9% of rapes are committed by men victims don’t know. Women (more usually than not) are raped at their own homes and in their work places by their partners or acquaintances.
  • Some say that women may lead rapists to committing an offence by wearing inappropriate clothes, being drunk or acting invitingly. The fact is that these factors should not be considered at all, men are responsible whether they commit crime or not.

A first of its kind documentary film The Invisible War revealed the shocking level of sexual abuse against women in US military. The statistics in The Invisible war revealed that female soldiers in battle zones are more likely to be raped by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire.

These attacks in military are still kept as a secret. Figures show that a member of the armed forces reports a rape or sexual assault every week in the UK. However, it is believed that this figure is underestimated and it could be as many as an attack a day.

It is very hard to change society’s attitude to sexual assaults and rapes. However, there are organisations that are working on it and trying to make world a safer place to live.

 

By Monika Petrauskaite