Myths About Rape

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Women who are raped may believe that the rape is somehow their fault.  This often results from a body of misinformation, which has come to be referred to as the "myths of rape."  There are many myths concerning rape, and almost all of them are completely false.  Rape to the attacker may be about power, but to the victim, rape is a violent, often life-threatening experience.  Myths that surround rape include the following:

1.  Women incite men to rape:  This is untrue because rape is completely the rapist's fault, and usually the rape has been planned out.
2.  There is a right way to respond to rape:  This is untrue because rape is often a life-threatening experience, and it is reported that the best thing for the victim to do is to act on instinct and observe anything she can concerning the rape.
3.  A man cannot rape his wife:  This is untrue because married women have the same rights and protection as unmarried women, and most states have laws against marital rape.
4.  Rapists only rape once:  This is untrue because rapists tend to rape over and over again until they are caught.
5.  Men can't be raped:  In the early 1990s there were 12,000 reported cases of sexual assault against males, mostly from other males.
6.  Women often make false reports of rape:  In the 1990s, only eight percent of the reported rapes were unfounded.

The myths of rape continue on because there are literally hundreds of them.  If you did not consent to the sexual conduct then it is either sexual assault or rape.