Types of Rape and Tips for Rape prevention

“I should not have drunk.”

“If only I did not trust him.”

“I should not have walked alone through the lonely street in the dark.”

“I should not have agreed to meet him.”

“Wish I did not open the door for him.”

“I should not have got into the car with him.”

“I should not have gone to that place in the night.”

“I should not have insulted him.”

“I should not have gone to that party.”

“I should not have worn that dress."

Do these statements sound familiar? Yes, you guessed it right. Those are statements of rape victims who curse themselves for having been raped. And they are right. Most of the rapes could have been avoided if the lady was a little cautious. Actually a big part of not being raped is based on what you do to prevent putting yourself into a situation where you could be raped.

By definition ‘rape’ means nonconsensual sexual contact. There isn’t a single day we do not see the news about rape on the newspapers or TV. Several thousand rapes happen every day, but only a small percentage is known outside or reported. The law discriminates against rape victims in a manner which would not be tolerated by victims of any other crime. Sometimes the victim does not disclose what happened because of fear or bad name. Most of the time Court and Trials take so long and sometime the crime is suppressed by the wealthy and politically influenced by offering bribes to legal authorities or sometimes the victim. So going by the rate of actual rapes it is not wrong to assume that a rapist get caught only after committing at least 20 rapes or only one out of a hundred gets punished by law. Some classifications of the different types of rapes are as follows:-

Acquaintance or Date Rape

Majority of the rapes which happen fall in this category. Most of the rapes are done by people whom you know very well. Those are people who take advantage of your trust and authority over you. Acquaintance rape can include rape done by parents, relatives, close friends and other people known to the raped. This also means being sexually assaulted is something you have a large degree of control over whether or not it happens to you. Most of these are never even reported because of threats from the rapist, family pressures and shame. In developed countries like USA child rape and child abuse by parents are quite common.

Statutory Rape

Even if sex is by consent of a minor or child the law counts it as rape and punishable offence. However, the age of consent may in different countries.

Martial Rape

When sex is forced on the spouse it can be termed as Martial Rape. Some times such rapes are because of the urge to create an offspring. But it is a crime even if your boyfriend or spouse commits it. Men do not have the right to take advantage of women, period.

Gang Rape

Gang rape happens when a group of people participate in the rape of a single victim.

Drug facilitated rape

Various drugs are used by rapists to render their victims unconscious; some also cause memory loss or death. Mostly this is added to water or soft drinks unknowingly to the victim and once she become unconscious she is raped.

Stranger Rape

Sometimes the rapist is a stranger of the raped and may use a gun or knife to gain control over the victim. The rapist may even kidnap the victim before raping or maybe someone who got a favourable opportunity to rape.

The Rapists have different motives on why they sexually assault others. It is very difficult to really judge who is going to be a rapist. Neither is it always possible to judge who is going to be raped. Does that mean all men are potential rapists? Sometimes we see a girl child as young as 2 years and woman as old as 96 get raped which indicates that the rapists are sadists and perverts. Out of which some rapists use power or weapon to get the victims cooperation and resisting such a victim brings in more body harm or even death. Yet there are some rapists who do this because of anger retaliation with the intention of punishing the woman for insulting him or for something else which caused him to be angry because of which he acts like a mad animal causing the victim maximum hurt. I have heard of cases where the rape has happed because the rapist wanted to prove that he was man enough. Some of the rapists are opportunists and take advantage of an opportunity presented to him. This category may include date rapes too. The rapist may also do this in conjunction with another crime like kidnapping or robbery. Sometimes nonavailability of woman or sex workers may constitute to rape of unsuspecting victims. It is also noticed that sometimes unsuspecting victims are lured and passed over to rapists who may use them or even sell them to brothels.

It is often heard quoting “Rapists are not born, they are made.” Some rapists were humiliated, molested or had a bad childhood which they want to return to others too. In such caser the abused becomes the abuser. Sometimes the society is responsible for the person turning a rapist like bad friends, bad surroundings, alcohol, drugs, pornography etc. Those who watch pornographic movies end up having no respect for any woman as most of them displays woman as shameless and wanting sex with whoever they see. Some rapists put the blame on their victims. They come with statements like ‘She was asking for it.’ Are there woman who want to be raped, I wonder. The raped may be responsible for drinking or bad judgment, but is that a rape able offense? Women are blamed for the way they dress or flirt. Well, there is reason to think woman is at blame here as the Arab countries have the lowest rape cases in the world.

Some girls tend to think that ‘Why guys should have all the fun?’ and frequent bars and other places which are high risk areas for girl. Well, if getting drunk and passing out your idea of fun, then you are literally setting yourself up to be raped. Sometimes woman are blamed for their behavior as a reason for getting raped. I read about cases where the rapist said that he has seen the girl with several guys and when he approached her she resisted which caused him to rape her or she was sending signals he could not resist. In some communities girls are sometimes blamed for not been able to get a man to propose because of her inability to send out signals to men. Poor parenting skills and influence are sometimes pointed as result for the rape. Whatsoever, I do not think anyone has the right to have sex with you against your will.

There are no surefire ways to prevent a rape, but a few tips here might help.

• Learn Self-Defense

• Carry Pepper Spray or Mace
• Do not drink beyond limit
• Have a trusted escort when you know you are going to be late.
• Have someone with you when you when you have to go to high risk areas in the night.
• Yell and shout for help

If Astrology is to be believed “Rapists are born.” It is believed that the destiny of any person is predetermined and the horoscope would have clear indications about any individual. So does that mean rapists are born that way just like eunuchs or gays?