Fairly good data are available on the prevalence of sexual assault against women, but not much research has been done on the use and effectiveness of various strategies adopted by the victims to resist sexual assaults. In the absence of proper research the evidence of resistance to sexual assaults by women in India seems to be very less. Women are often advised to use non-aggressive strategies against sexual assaults. However, research suggests that this is a poor advice. Forceful physical resistance is an extremely successful strategy. In many western countries school-going children and teenagers are taught self-defense skills applicable in rape resistance. In India, several efforts are being made to prevent sexual assaults on girls and women …show more content…
Sexual assault is defined as any unwanted sexual act including forced sexual contact and sexual touching. Rape is the serious most of the sexual assaults. Like domestic violence, rape and sexual assault are crimes that are far too common. It is disheartening to find thousands of girls and women encountering such tragic incidents every year. At least 34,651 cases of rape were reported across India last year, as per the statistics released by the country's National Crime Records Bureau. In addition, the incidents of sexual assaults on young girls and women, in different states of India, in the last few months are a cause of serious concern. The crime of sexual assault on a child, that is anyone below the age of eighteen, is further outlined and mandatory punishments described in the The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012. But three years after India passed an enhanced law to combat child sexual abuse, it is said that it has been poorly implemented, often leaving families without support after they report sexual assaults. More than 36,900 rapes were reported in India in 2014. Nearly 14,000 of the victims were children, a 151 percent increase since 2009. The crime was long shrouded in silence, but more families are reporting the sexual assault of children, another societal shift after the …show more content…
Therefore, this article discusses the desirability of fighting back against sexual assailants and the extent to which a victim could go to defend herself from such
Sexual assault is the act of sexual intercourse without consent of the other person according to the New South Wales Consolidation Act of 1900 (Austlii 2011) and is also described by the Australian Standard Offence Classification as ‘non-consensual’ acts or intents of sexual nature (ASOC 2008, p. 31). It has become one of the most predominate crimes creating social harm in Australia. Social harm is defined as the negative influence through consequences impacting the individual on the living conditions of the surrounding public (Cain & Howe 2008, p. 26). Sexual assault poses a social threat to all aspects of the community, spreading insecurity in the 9000 victims across Australia and 1900 victims in NSW alone as indicated in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Crime Victimisation Report (ABS 2011, p. 40). This is supported by the victimization rate of all sexually assaulted victims between ages 10 to 14 being 4 times greater than all the other age groups (ABS 2010).
Koss, Mary P. “Rape is a Serious Problem.” 2000. Sexual Violence: Opposing Viewpoints. Comp. Helen Cothran. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, 2003. 64-72. Print.
Sociological Analysis of Sexual Assault This essay will examine the social and cultural conditions, within the macro-diachronic and micro-synchronic theoretical models, that intensify or perpetuate sexual assault. I have chosen only one concept from each model because these are the only concepts that I feel that I can use to most accurately and comprehensively depict causes and reasons for why sexual assault is deeply entrenched in our social structure. I will thus explore, from these ideological viewpoints, some of the motivations and circumstances that lead offenders to sexual assault. I will also fuse some of the historical attitudes from which today's concepts have evolved into our contemporary understanding of these social phenomena. However, it’s important that we look beyond both offenders' motivations and history, and to the greater sociological view, if we are to correctly reconstruct acts of violence such as sexual assault.
According to RAINN, (2009) approximately 10 per cent of all victims of sexual assault and abuse are adult and juvenile males. In terms of the nature of assault, real figures include a compendium of reported incidents ranging from unwanted sexual touching to forced penetration. To qualify this statement, it must be understood that the percentage does not reflect a vast number of crimes that go unreported due to issues that will be discussed in the present paper.
Further, this review highly demonstrates positives outcomes from self-defence training. This is evident through a decreased fear of rape and a sense of control. On the other hand, weaknesses presented on rape prevention programs detect a limited supply of change due to methodological and measurement issues.In conclusion, research has been usefully informed towards rape prevention and risk reduction strategies. Thus, portraying 'self-defence' as a major prevention strategy towards victims of sexual assault.
It is very important that we are invulnerable to rape. Rape can happen to anyone at any time. Rape prevention strategies help to decrease the risk, but the risk never drops to zero percent. In our society of rape myths, gender ideology, and exposure of sex in the media, especially in advertising, and especially when it involves violence, rape will be in our culture for a long time. Our culture promotes this brand of sexuality and we turn our cheeks to rape and any negative form of sex.
Sexual assault is defined as a type of behaviour that occurs without explicit consent from the recipient and under sexual assault come various categories such as sexual activities as forces sexual intercourse, incest, fondling, attempted rape and more (Justice.gov. 2017). People often become victims of sexual assault by someone they know and trust (Mason & Lodrick, 2013) which is conflicting to the public’s perception and beliefs that offenders are strangers. Women are the main victims for sexual assault and are 5 times more likely to have been a victim of sexual assault from a male (Wright, 2017, p. 93). Men are victims of sexual assault however only 0.7% of men, compared to 3.2% of women, experience some form of sexual assault which highlights how vulnerable women are compared to men. Sexual assault is publicised and exposed in the media, however is often
To date, “between 10 to 40 percent of female students [. . .] have been raped while [. . .] up to 60 percent of males students [have] commit[ed] actions that meet the legal definition of sexual assault” (Bretz 19). This percentage demonstrates the ineffectiveness of university policies and signifies a drastic change to procedures is in order if educational institutions want to see improvement. In order to see an effective change, policies must “explicitly define key terms such as “‘consent’, ‘force’ [,]‘incapacity’ and cover [a] range of sexually violent behavior” (Gunraj 9). Furthermore, since the age of fourteen 58.7% of females “ha[ve] experienced one or more forms of victimization[. . .] 35.0% ha[ve] experienced at least one completed or attempted rape and 23.5% ha[ve] been raped” (Senn et. al. Results). First-year female students are not prepared for the perpetrators they will face on campus, and as a result, are more vulnerable to sexual violence. Universities need to develop effective policies and procedures to not only prepare women for the challenges they may face but to reduce the overall number of sexual assaults and make school a safer environment for
Sexual Assault described in technical terms is defined as any sort of sexual activity between two or more people in which one of the people involved is involved against his or her will. (3) The description of "against his or her will" extends to varying degrees of aggression, ranging from indirect pressure to a direct physical attack. According to the Crime Victim Research and Treatment Center 1.3 adult women are sexually assaulted in the United States every minute. (1) Of these assaults 84% of the attacks occur by someone the victim knows. The Senate Judiciary Committee the United States sighted the United States as having the highest rate of sexual assaults per capita in the world. (1) Unfortunately the majority of sexual assaults that occur against women go unreported. Only 31% of sexual assaults that occurred in 1996 were reported to law enforcement authorities. (1) The problem of sexual assault is increasing. In the year 2000 the number of sexual assaults against women had increased by 16.5%. (1) A woman's reaction to sexual assault can vary. Feelings of guilt, being ashamed, intense anger, and denial are common. In addition a woman can feel stigmatized by those around her and her community.
According to a statement addressing the sexual victimization of college women The Crime and Victimization in America states that, “ One out of four women will be sexually assaulted on a college campus.” This disturbing fact has not minimized throughout the years, instead it is continuing to worsen throughout college campuses. Sexual assault is not an act to be taken lightly. Society must stop pinpointing the individuals who commit these crimes one by one, but rather look at the problem as a whole and begin to understand the main cause of sexual assault and possible methods to reduce these acts of sexual coercion.
Sexual assault is a global issue, where individuals fall victim every day. Sexual assault does not have; an age, race, sex, religion, or sexual orientation, it has no preference. Since fear has a powerful effect on people can it prevent and individual from reporting a sexual assault. My question is, why do individual not report sexual assaults committed towards them? Individuals may fear that their assault will harm them and retaliate against them for disclosing the incident to anyone may prevent them from reporting the incident. I intend to show that an individual’s fear of their assaulters causes them to not report a sexual assault committed towards them. Also, discuss if there is a relationship between fear of their
A question among researchers is what type of force is required to constitute sexual assault. Does non-physical sexual coercion count as sexual assault? Russell (1982) found that women described sexual coercion as different than sexual assault, showing that there is a major distinction in their minds of these types of sexual violence. Thus, her research team distinguished between use of physical force and non-physical coercion, even to the point of determining which actions constitute physical force. Their criteria for use of force included “such acts as pushing, pinning, and being held down by a husband’s weight so that the woman couldn’t move,” (p. 48). In chapter five of their seminal work License to Rape (1985), Finkellhor & Yllo present
This was said in the midst of ever-increasing sexual violence in India, of which only four out of ten rapes are reported due to lack of interest by the law enforcement.... ... middle of paper ... ...2010. Address. The.
To understand how to prevent child sexual abuse, one must begin by understanding what child sex abuse is. When a perpetrator intentionally harms a child physically, psychologically, sexually, or by acts of neglect, this crime is known as child abuse. Child sex abuse consists of any sexual activity that includes a minor. A child cannot consent to any form of sexual activity. More importantly, when a perpetrator engages with a child this way, they are committing a crime that can have lasting effects on the victim for years. Moreover, child sexual abuse does not need to include physical contact between a perpetrator and child, some forms include but not limited to; fondling, intercourse, sex trafficking, exposing oneself to a minor, masturbation
For women in India, the last century has marked a great amount of progress, but at times it has been as stubborn as all the centuries before it. Women have been expanding their roles in society, at home, and even politics with female Prime Minster Indira Gandhi. Gender roles are ingrained deeply, however, and that is no more apparent than in the current rape epidemic. Specifically the last 40 years have been some of the most promising for Indian women, but they have also seen an 875% increase in rape cases (Park). The answers to why this is happening, and why it is happening now may open up a much deeper issue. The social climate is changing; a power struggle between genders steadies the quantity of violence against women. Meanwhile, their empowerment to speak out and hold a rapist accountable brings it to the attention of the world. A longstanding injustice that has been occurring right bellow the surface for years may have reached its boiling point.