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THE REDISCOVERY OF THE PLIGHT OF RAPE VICTIMS Forcible rape is surely one of the most heinous vio- lent crimes imaginable, and yet for centuries the social reaction to this offense showed little regard for the well-being of the victim. In the distant past, rape was handled as an offense that harmed the interests of […]

SEXUAL ASSAULTS AND RAPES: THE SOCIAL REACTION It is up to all of us to ensure victims of sexual violence are not left to face these trials alone. Too often, survivors suffer in silence, fearing retribu- tion, lack of support, or that the criminal justice system will fail to bring the perpetrator to justice. We

10 Victims of Rapes and Other Sexual Assaults CHAPTER OUTLINE Sexual Assaults and Rapes: The Social Reaction The Rediscovery of the Plight of Rape Victims The Consequences of Being Sexually Assaulted The Controversy Surrounding Questions of Shared Responsibility “Real Rapes” as Compared to “Acquaintance Rapes” and “Date Rapes” Victim-Blaming Viewpoints Victim-Defending Perspectives Estimates of the

Battering Within Same-Sex Relationships Because of a growing openness about homosexual- ity, a predictable rediscovery was that physical fight- ing can mar the intimate relationships between gay men and also between lesbians. Violence in gay and lesbian couples is suspected to occur about as fre- quently as within heterosexual relationships, afflict- ing between 25 percent

Abuse of Parents by Adolescents When teenagers batter their parents, the fathers and mothers tend to feel ashamed and usually wish to keep the matter private, so severe underreporting confounds attempts to estimate the scope of the problem. In many cases, the use of force directed at parents can be seen as retaliation for the

THE REDISCOVERY OF OTHER VICTIMS OF BEATINGS When violence in intimate relationships began to be recognized as pervasive, several other rediscov- eries became inevitable. First, battering can emerge during dating and courtship, when the ties that bind the couple are not so strong. Second, violence by adolescents can be directed at their parents. Third, adults

Arguments Emphasizing That the Brutal Man Provoked the Lethal Response Victim-blaming arguments proceed from the prem- ise that the departed was responsible for his own demise. The wife or girlfriend who emerged as the victor was reluctant to fight at the outset. In his final moments, however, the husband or boyfriend became a casualty because

Intimate Partner Homicides and the Criminal Justice System When a battered woman kills her batterer, the pub- lic reaction at first seems hard to fathom: A signifi- cant part of the victims’ rights movement is deeply concerned about the plight of these “murderers.” For decades, the movement has raised money to pay the fees of

VICTIM PROVOCATION AND MURDER: WHEN IS THE SLAYING OF A WIFE BEATER JUSTIFIED? A sergeant in a crime scene unit, known as a “nice guy” and “family man” who coached Little League and was active in his church, retires from the police department after 20 years of service. But on the morning after he breaks

THE REDISCOVERY OF BATTERED HUSBANDS AND BOYFRIENDS The attention paid to wife beating led inevitably to the rediscovery of husband beating. Starting in the late 1970s, several social scientists began to challenge the stereotype that men almost always were the initiators of violence and the obvious victors in lovers’ quarrels. They reported that their data