Quiz on the Myths and Facts Surrounding Rape:

Are the following truths or myths? (We realize many of these questions are painfully obvious, but include them here because we feel the answers provide useful background information.)

1. Certain behaviors, such as drinking or dressing in a sexually appealing way, make rape a woman's responsibility. Especially if a woman agrees to allow a man to pay for dinner, drinks, etc., it means she owes him sex.
2. It is not rape if a woman is forced to have sex with her husband or boyfriend.
3. Sexual assault represents the most rapidly growing violent crime in America.
4. Rape is not a pervasive problem in the US. It only affects a few thousand women per year.
5. Rape victims under the age of 18 are extremely rare.
6. Some states restrict consensual sex to situations in which men received an affirmative oral statement from the women before intercourse begins.
7. Rape is committed by crazy, lonely, sexually unfulfilled men.
8. Most rapes are not reported.
9. Alcohol and other drugs are often used in rapes of college women.
10. Women who don't fight back haven't been raped, unless the man used a gun or some other weapon.

1. MYTH: Drinking or dressing in a sexually appealing way are is not an invitations for sex. Further, sex is not an implied payback for dinner or other expense no matter how much money has been spent. Common myths surrounding rape include: only women can be sexually assaulted; victims who truly resist cannot be raped; no really doesn't mean no; nice girls don't get raped; and "she asked for it." Male rape victims may feel that others will question their sexuality if they report the incident or that they, in fact, subconsciously desired and complied with their assault. Each of these beliefs can lead to confused attitudes, emotions, and behavior, both among victims and others. Blame can be shifted from perpetrator to victim, leading to a process of "secondary victimization" leading to lack of support for and even condemnation of the victim. See Schwartz, I.L. Sexual violence against women: prevalence, consequences, societal factors, and prevention. Am J Prev Med. 1991;7(6):363-373.
2. MYTH: In 1993, over half a million American women were raped, and a quarter of those women were raped by an intimate: a husband or ex-husband, a boyfriend or ex-boyfriend. See Ronet Bachman & Linda E. Saltzman, U.S. Dep't of Justice, Violence Against Women 2-3 (1995). Two-thirds of sexual assaults are committed by someone known to the victim: friends, acquaintances, intimates, and family members. See "Criminal Victimization 1994," National Crime Victimization Survey, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, April 1996.
3. FACT: See Dupre, A.R., Hampton, H.L., Morrison, H., and Meeks, G.R. Sexual Assault. Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey. 1993;48:640-648. This statistic may be confounded by increases in reporting, as rape is more acknowledged in our culture and women are more likely to report the crimes.
4. MYTH: Over 700,000 women are sexually assaulted each year in the US. See National Crime Center and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. Arlington, VA; 1992:1-16. In 1993, over half a million American women were raped. See Ronet Bachman & Linda E. Saltzman, U.S. Dep't of Justice, Violence Against Women 2-3 (1995).
5. MYTH: Among female rape victims, 61% are under age 18. See American Academy of Pediatrics, Committee on Adolescence, "Sexual assault and the adolescent," Pediatrics, 1994 at 94.
6. MYTH: While some feminist theorists have called for rape laws which require an affirmative showing of willing participation in the sexual act, no state currently requires such a showing in order to avoid a rape charge
7. MYTH: Studies of convicted male rapists indicate that more than 60% were married and virtually all had normal sexual relationships with women at the time they committed the assault. See http://www.cs.utk.edu/~bartley/sacc/whatIsSA.html. Women are often raped by "normal" acquaintances who resemble "regular guys." See David G. Curtis, Ph.D., B.C.E.T.S., "Perspectives on Acquaintance Rape," http://www.aaets.org/arts/art13.htm.
8. FACT: It is generally accepted that less than half of rapes are reported to authorities; some estimates are as low as 10%. Many factors contribute to under-reporting, including embarrassment, fear of further injury, and fear of court procedures that, too often, scrutinize and judge the victim's behavior and history. See Dupre, A.R., Hampton, H.L., Morrison, H., and Meeks, G.R. Sexual assault. Obstet Gynecol Surv. 1993;48(9):640-648. Almost two-thirds of victims of completed rapes do not report the crime to police. It is estimated that only 36% of rapes, 20% of attempted rapes and 41% of other sexual assaults are reported to police. See "Criminal Victimization 1994," National Crime Victimization Survey, Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, April 1996.
9. FACT: A study of sexual assaults among college students found that 73% of the assailants and 55% of the victims had used drugs, alcohol, or both immediately before the assault. See Sexual Assault in America, Prepared by the American Medical Association, Found at http://www.ama-assn.org/public/releases/assault/action.htm
10. MYTH: A woman is raped when she is forced to have sex against her will, whether she fought back or not. It is rape whether the rapist uses a weapon or his fists, verbal threats, drugs or alcohol, physical isolation, a woman's diminished mental or physical state or simply the weight of his body to overcome her.