Related Services > SAVE Program > Violence Prevention Information > Rape Prevention > Myths About Rape

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Myth: "Rape is not a big deal, it is only sex.."

FACT: Rape is a big deal. It is a crime of dominance and control
using sex to express power and anger. Sex happens between two
consenting partners. Rape is an aggressive act using sex as a
weapon. To be raped is to be violated and stripped of control and
self-determination.

Myth: "Men fantasize that a woman wants to be raped..."

FACT: A dream is not reality. Referring to the first myth, rape is a big deal and occurs when an attacker takes control from a woman in reality. It is an aggressive act and whether it is a dream, a fantasy, or reality, it is morally and ethically wrong, as well as being illegal.

Myth: "Women who wear provocative clothing invite rape..."

FACT: Men and society in general use this excuse. Women who wear provocative clothing do not invite rape just as men who wear expensive clothing do not invite muggings.

Myth: "Rape is committed by strangers..."

FACT: Survivors know their assailants in about 80% of all reported cases.

Myth: "Rapists are mostly psychotic men..."

FACT: Most rapists are men with no obvious sign of mental illness. In study after study, researchers are unable to find any significant psychological differences between men who rape and men who don't.

Myth: "Men rape because they 'need' sex..."

FACT: Men do not rape because they need a sexual partner. Men rape in order to humiliate and dominate a person. 75% of men who rape are either married or have regular sexual partners.

Myth: "Children are promiscuous and seductive, and adolescents (young adults) in particular may provoke sexual assault by their behavior..."

FACT: The two kinds of assault commonly committed by adults against children and young adults are forcible rape and coercion situations. Young adults and children do not ask to be abused. Responsibility for sexual assault lies with the abuser, not the victim.

 

_________________________
Ron Vick, MA, LPC
Counselor / Academic Advisor
Int'l Student Advisor