Speaker Series: Sexual Assault Awareness Part 1

Kesha Johnson-Clark, August 2014
Kesha is the founder of SisterHood, Inc (a grassroots organization), a Business professional, a writer, poet and spoken word artist (Independent Grrl Recordings)


When is rape[1] justified? Is there such a case where the rapist is given just cause for their violent actions? First, let's be clear rape is a crime. There are more than 80,000[a] rape cases in the U.S. reported each year yet 3.4 million[b] more go unreported while 18% of those reported get convictions which may be a direct result to defective rape kits[c].

Classified as a major crime or a felony[d], rape as sexual assault[2] is the UNWANTED, UNSOLICITED, NON-CONSENTED, horrific and violent act of forced sexual intercourse including penal to vaginal penetration, penal to anus penetration as some cases may also include UNWANTED, UNSOLICITED, NON-CONSENTED oral, finger penetration or oral, vaginal and anus penetration by various objects with or without protection from disease and unwanted pregnancies. The "aggressor" can be male or female. The "victim" can be male or female. The "rape act" can be male to male, female to female, adult[3] to child[4], child to child, adult to adult. Those self identified as straight, gay or bisexual can be an aggressor or a victim. Those who self identified as transgender can be an aggressor or a victim.

Those who were previously, currently or who have never been sexually active can be victims or an aggressor. A person of any race/ethnic background can be an aggressor or victim. A person of any financial or socio-economical status can be an aggressor or a victim. A person with or without mental or physical impairments (aka disability[5] or slower functionality than) can be an aggressor or a victim. A person who is celibate[6], single, married, a parent with several or a newly expecting parent or dating be it casually or serious, long tern relationship can be either. A person of any age can be a victim while in some cases the aggressor may be younger than the victim.

Rape can happen at night, early morning or midday afternoon. Rape can happen to a person when they wear a dress, a skirt, shorts or a pair of jeans. Rape can happen when a person has long silky hair, dread locs or a bald head, with or without make-up on. Rape can take place at home, school, work, church or a designated place of worship, a friend or relatives house, a party or concert venue, when a person is alone or in close proximity to other people. Rape can happen on a date, in a car, at a park or in a back alley.

The rapist can be short or tall, overweight or slim, very attractive or not too good looking at all, pale or dark skinned, socially popular and well liked or a loner and social outcast just as the victim. Either can be a known drug addict, a closet junkie or clean and sober, a person with a degree of any kind or without a high school diploma or GED, working in any field or totally unemployed. They can be of any faith, religion or political affiliation. Regardless of the actions of family members or relative history or neighborhood reputations and gossip, they can also be either. And both can be someone you know or a complete stranger.

During the 1970s the first rape crisis center was established in San Francisco. In a two-year period, 1.1 million women were raped[7] with 21.6% of those cases, the victim was the age 12 or younger[8]


Part 1 of When is Rape Justified is complete. This series will continue shortly...


Reference
1. RAINN
a. Rape Statistics
b. Rape and Sexual Assault, Bureau of Justice Statistics
c. Rape Kits
d. Felonies
2. UCSC Title IX/Sexual Harrassment Offcie
3. Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition
4. Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition
5. Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition
6. Word Reference definitiona and usage
7. Rape and Sexual Assault
8. Rape and Sexual Assault



Related Research
Marital Rape, 1978
Rape and Sexual Assault, Medical University of South Carolina
Rape Is Grossly Underreported in the U.S., Huffington Post 2013
If We Want to Take Sexual Assault Seriously, We Need to Test Thousands of Rape Kits First, 2013