Ways in Which Rape Effects Women - Essay Example

Ways in Which Rape Effects Women The act of rape is perhaps one of the most traumatic events that can happen to an individual. Rape is an act of power not an act of sex, “Rape is sexual intercourse that is performed without consent and done mainly by force or deception”(.http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/wha/wha_rape_crs.htm). Its effects are on a physical, mental and emotional level. The purpose of this essay is to explore the ways in which rape does affect individuals. Rape does not always include violence, but is often the result of intense anger or hatred towards the individual being raped. It is essentially intended to humiliate, demean and harm the victim. In looking at physical results of rape, the victim is often but not always choked or strangled at some point during the rape and will often suffer from ligature marks around the neck after the rape itself Due to forced penetration, genitals of the rape victim can become swollen and bruised. In addition, bruising around the rectal area can also become bruised and swollen. Many rape victims are left with STDs after a rape occurs, and often suffer this physical affect for a lifetime. Rape victims, when female; may also become pregnant after a rape occurs. This often leaves the victim with a decision of whether to get an abortion or not. A rape victim may also experience trouble urinating after an attack, or may suffer from urinary tract infections. Abdominal pain and cramping after an attack is also common. Some victims of rape may even experience skin problems, headaches, loss of appetite, excess appetite, sore throat, nausea, back ache and pelvic soreness. The most important thing though for rape victims to do after an attack, is to seek medical help immediately. It is crucial for victims to not bathe or shower directly after an attack, as the emergency room staff will need to acquire evidence from the victim’s body in order to identify the rapist. The psychological fallout that rape victims suffer is often lifelong due to the horrific experience of being raped. These psychological symptoms include depression, anxiety, feelings of guilt over what has happened (even though rape is never the victims fault), nightmares, flashbacks, a feeling of emotional numbness, irritability and debilitating or extreme fear. A rape victim may experience something called PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) which is a psychological disorder brought on by extreme stress and fear, much like what a rape victim experiences during a rape. Other psychological symptoms include an overall dissatisfaction with life, memory loss (as in childhood memoires), control issues, negative body image sometimes leading to eating disorders and low self esteem. The most important thing for rape victims to do immediately after the rape occurs is to contact the police and seek medical attention. Once the physical and medical needs of the patient are met and the evidence is obtained through a rape kit, the victim will want to make use of recourses such as rape crisis centers and victim’s advocacy services. These services are intended to intervene on behalf of and assist the victim with the psychological and emotional trauma of having been raped. Unfortunately, there are still additional effects, on an emotional level, that the rape victim may experience after the attack. Often times, a rape victim will suffer within their relationships with friends, family and partners or spouses. One of the major effects of rape is that the victim finds it difficult to trust others. Most rape victims know their attackers prior to the rape and this is an unfortunate precursor to losing one’s ability to trust others in general. Many rape victims also struggle with intimacy issues after having been raped. It is difficult for many rape victims to feel comfortable or safe sexually, after being sexually attacked. As a result, it can be difficult to achieve orgasm, or become sexually aroused when returning to sexual activity. Rape victims may also find themselves making poor choices in sexual partners, after a rape occurs. Less common is a rape victim’s sudden change in what sexually arouses them, “masochistic practices -- violent or humiliating practices necessary to obtain desire, arousal, or orgasm” ( http://www.dcrcc.org/effects.htm). A rape victim may also find that they either want to become more sexually active after a rape, in order to gain control of their sexuality or a complete aversion to sex may occur within the victim. Negative feelings surrounding sex are somewhat common for rape victims. In some cases, women may find that they experience what is called vaginismus, which is a collapsing of the vaginal wall preventing any type of vaginal penetration (http://www.dcrcc.org/effects.htm). Men, who are victims of rape, may find that they experience an inability to achieve an erection or ejaculation. While the physical effects of rape can heal through time, psychological, emotional and relational effects of rape can haunt the rape victim for a lifetime. These effects may vary from victim to victim and depend on the magnitude of events that occur during the rape. Some acts of sexual violence are so horrifying, that victims may suffer crippling and debilitating emotional and psychological damage. It is important to examine some of the things that also effect rape victims after the actual rape itself. An example of this is the way in which the individual’s rape is handled in the judicial system. Unfortunately, many rape victims become victims all over again in the court room when their sexual or social history is put on trial. Many defense attorneys will bring to light the apparel worn by rape victims, on the date of the attack, insinuation that the victim may have been “asking for it”. This is obviously a very underhanded and inappropriate assumption made, as the clothing worn by a victim when they are attacked has nothing to do with someone else’s propensity to be a sexual predator. This type of “badgering the witness” is not as tolerated by court room judges as it once was, but still happens from time to time. This only leads to more unnecessary guilt on the part of the victim. Another aspect of long term emotional effects suffered by rape victims has to do with the victim’s age. The act of sexual violence towards children may in fact be one of the most heinous and sociopathic crimes committed today. Tragically, when a child is the victim of sexual violence, the emotional, physical and psychological effects are sometimes life long. Young girls, who are victims of rape, often experience stunted puberty and development. These victims may also experience perforations and vaginal or rectal tearing that can be irreparable. Even more terrible, is that sometimes when children are rape victims, internal hemorrhaging can occur and result in death without immediate medical treatment. As before mentioned, rape often comes from someone that the victim knows prior to the rape, “Approximately 28% of victims are raped by husbands or boyfriends, 35% by acquaintances, and 5% by other relatives. (Violence against Women, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Dept. of Justice, 1994)” (http://www.paralumun.com/issuesrapestats.htm ). In the case of child rape victims, often times a family member is the predator. In some cases, when child victims do finally let an adult know what has happened to them, they are either not believed or the family ignores the allegations. This is unfortunate and only enables the rapist to continue harming the same child or other children as well. Many perpetrators that prey on children will use threats to keep their secret. They will tell the victim that if they tell anyone about what has happened that they or their family members will be harmed or killed. This only perpetuates a feeling of isolation and fear for the rape victim. When children are victims of rape and sexual violence, the psychological damage can be so profound that the victim may suffer from serious psychological disorders such as multiple personality disorder, self mutilation, alcoholism, psychological breaks from reality, antisocial personality disorder and crippling depression. Another aspect of children, who are victims of sexual violence, is that those victims may also grow up to be sexual predators themselves. Most studies have indicated that many times sexual predators were at one time a victim of sexual violence themselves. Truly, whether an individual is a child, adolescent or an adult; the effects of rape are colossal and often permanent. In many cases of rape and sexual violence, the victim is killed during or directly after the rape. This is devastating to friends and family members of the victims, especially knowing how their loved one died. Finally, it is important to mention that many to most sexual violence crimes go unreported because the victim is afraid or ashamed, “One of the most startling aspects of sex crimes is how many go unreported. “The most common reasons given by women for not reporting these crimes are the belief that it is a private or personal matter and the fear of reprisal from the assailant” (http://www.paralumun.com/issuesrapestats.htm). The most important thing for society to do in order to reduce or eliminate rape is to continue programs on victim’s advocacy and to push for laws that are particularly intolerant of any act of sexual violence. Works Cited: American Rape Statistics, retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www.paralumun.com/issuesrapestats.htm DC Rape Crisis Center, retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www.dcrcc.org/effects.htm Women’s Health Advisory 2005, retrieved April 25, 2008 from http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/wha/wha_rape_crs.htm Read More