Real rapes and Real victims - Essay Example

As this is not always the case, the police has made a differentiation between “real rape” and where the woman herself did not initially think of it as rape but was convinced by other people that it was. Based from the research done (Stewart, Dobbin & Gatowski, 1996), a woman is finally convinced by other people to report the rape by two reasons: Sadly, myths and pre-conceived notions of women have dominated the police’s perception of women claiming rape. Because of these ideas, the police have acted nonchalantly towards these women and have come up with their own criterion to judge who the “real victim” is.

This person, police say, is a woman who did not bring upon the rape to herself. In other words, the “real victim” acted decently but still found herself a victim of rape. This is when the justice system deems it proper to “rescue” her. This reasoning may be attributed to a belief in the “Pedestal Myth”. The pedestal myth puts woman at the top level of the respect and virtue ladder. Under this notion, women are expected to be prim and proper. They are expected to be more honorable than men.

They should not drink. They should not hang out and/or drink in bars, wear tempting clothes and the like. Women are expected to be more ladylike. This notion has caused the police to focus more on the credibility of the woman rather than the facts of the case in deciding whether to pursue a rape claim or not. They have created their own standard seemingly based on this pedestal myth and will only investigate a claim if they think the judge will deem the victim believable. This is a very vital point in finding justice for the rape victim.

Inasmuch as they are the first group of people who will officially decide whether a crime of rape has been committed or not, the police’s impression of a rape victim is of utmost importance. Similarly, the character and credibility of the victim aid in figuring out what