Sarikaya 1

Sena Sarikaya
Caruso
UWRT 1103-037
October 6, 2015
Rape Culture
Rape culture is everyones issue, regardless of gender (Ridgeway 1). Unfortunately,
most of our population is not aware of this fact, nor are they aware of what rape culture really is,
and if they are, plenty of those individuals do not believe it is a real phenomenon. Created in the
United States by feminists in the 1970s, the term brings light to how society blames victims of
sexual assault and normalizes male sexual violence (What is Rape Culture? par. 1). When a
victim of sexual assault becomes public about his or her experience, more than likely they will
be at least partially blamed for the assault, instead of receiving the support they need. As a
society, we need to educate our country on the parameters of rape and deem it as an
unacceptable crime against humans, without blaming the victims.
While it remains true that most rapists are men and most victims are women, it is
important to recognize that men are also victims of rape by other men and women. This issue
mostly includes, but is not limited to women. It is possible for anyone to be raped as it is also
possible for anyone to be a rapist. 1 out of 6 American women and 1 out of 33 American men
have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime (Who are the Victims? 1).
44% of sexual assault or rape victims are under the age of 18 - 93% know their attacker (1). It is
possible for the rates to actually be higher than presented due to unreported assaults.

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How would you react if a loved one found the comfort to open up to you about their
sexual assault experience? When I came forward to report what happened, instead of support,
many well-meaning people close to me asked me questions about what I was wearing, if I had
done something to cause the assault, or if I had been drinking (Maxwell par.2). Would you
immediately start questioning them? Would you question them about what they were wearing or
if they had been intoxicated? Would you doubt their circumstance and sugarcoat their
experience? Would you blame a significant other in your life for getting raped? Or would you
offer support, love, and comfort to someone in their time of need? The answer may seem clear by
just reading these questions. However, most people who have become public with their rape or
sexual assault were wrongfully blamed for the act by a portion of society. Even if they are not
blamed, getting justice for the crime committed towards them is harder than one might expect,
even with concrete evidence.
Blogger Maria Marcello, an Oxford student, wrote about her non-consensual sexual
experience in her dorm where she was in and out of consciousness while intoxicated, along with
Polices response. Her entry titled I Was Raped At Oxford University. Police Pressured Me Into
Dropping Charges featured the authors struggle in trying to convict her rapist (Marcello 1). Her
blog entry received a lot of attention, mostly positive, although, the amount of various negative
feedbacks by her audience seemed to trigger her. In the following blog entry Marcello published,
10 Things The Internet Told Me When I Wrote About My Rape, the condescending replies can
be seen throughout the blog. The author was objectified in the comments; We cant wander
down the road with our wallets hanging out without fear of them being stolen and If you
leave your house or car unlocked and it is broken into the insurance company will not pay up
(Marcello 1). Women should not have to be compared to inanimate objects they are humans.

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Rape culture is not only influenced by society, but it is also institutionalized. According
to the statistics brought forward by RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), more
than half of sexual assaults go unreported (Reporting Rapes 1). Only 3% of rape cases actually
make it as far as going to court (1). Sometimes, rapists are put behind bars other times the law
works against rape victims, even with sufficient proof. A rape victim, who has submitted a blog
entry to the website campus-survivers.org, was brave enough to speak about her assault that took
place in the comfort of her own bedroom while intoxicated and the following months where she
had to move out of her apartment and press charges for the assault (Anonymous 1). After the
rape, the victim went to the hospital for a rape examination, followed by a visit to the Police,
where she was then sent to a sexual assault unit. She took every step a rape victim should take
subsequent to the event. The officers at the sexual assault unit gave her hope for justice, seeing
as there was plenty of evidence, such as the rapist apologizing for the rape and DNA evidence of
sperm on the victims stomach. However, when she finally met with a detective and DA (District
Attorney), they told her that she would most likely lose the case, because she didnt react the
way she should have when she was being raped, like screaming or fighting back, therefore no
one would believe her. Alas, this was not the victims first assault, and she had been diagnosed
with PTSD since then. Consequently, she was given the proper medication for the illness. Even
though the victim had overcome her PTSD, thanks to therapy, and didnt need her medication
anymore, the defense could easily claim that she has not been properly medicated and can brand
her as mentally ill (1). Instead of a defense attorney going out of their way to bring justice to a
victim of a heinous act, we have defense attorneys in this country who are backing down from a
case with adequate and ample evidence, simply because of the possibility of losing the case. In
turn, the rapists get to walk free, perhaps committing more assaults in the future.

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From my knowledge, I know that performing sexual acts on someone who is
unconscious, drunk, drugged, or in any way unable to give consent for the act, is considered
rape. The victim doesnt deserve to be raped for being under the influence for drugs or alcohol;
it is even quite common for victims to be drugged by their rapist. A victim doesnt deserve to
be raped for what he or she is wearing; their choice of clothing is not an invite. Just because
someone is a sex worker does not mean that they cannot be raped. Everyone needs to be
consenting of the act, even if they are married. If it is not consensual, it is rape. Unfortunately,
not a lot of Americans are aware of this. Rape needs to stop being labeled as something that just
happens, instead awareness needs to be raised about this crime. A lot of people like to turn a
blind eye to this issue, as if it is not their problem. This is everyones problem.

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Works Cited
Anonymous. "The Reasons Why Your Rapist Will Go Free." Campus Assault and Rape
Survivors Online Network. Campus-survivors.org, 01 May 2014. Web. 05 Oct. 2015.
Marcello, Maria. "10 Things The Internet Told Me When I Wrote About My Rape - TheLi.st @
Medium." Medium. N.p., 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 03 Oct. 2015.
Marcello, Maria. "I Was Raped At Oxford University. Police Pressured Me Into Dropping
Charges - TheLi.st @ Medium." Medium. N.p., 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 02 Oct. 2015.
Maxwell, Zerlina. "Rape Culture Is Real." Time. Time, 27 Mar. 2014. Web. 06 Oct. 2015.
"Reporting Rates | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network." Reporting Rates |
RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.
Ridgeway, Shannon. "25 Everyday Examples of Rape Culture." Everyday Feminism. N.p., 10
Mar. 2014. Web. 29 Sept. 2015.
"What Is Rape Culture?" WAVAW Women Against Violence Against Women. WAVAW, n.d. Web.
30 Sept. 2015.
"Who Are the Victims? | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network." Who Are the
Victims? | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN, n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2015.