Why your daughter has a 1 in 5 chance of being raped, and what to do about it

2/12/2013

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criminals are not insane. They know entirely well the difference between right and wrong. They have impulse control and can behave as civilized human beings. The problem is we live in a society that grants license, then fails to punish the wrongdoers.

From as young as the teenage years, and perhaps a bit earlier, young men and boys are taught that sexual conquests are glorious. Our media reinforces this. There's little shame now attached to Swimsuit Issues and internet pornography. Conversely, women are taught this is normal, acceptable behavior, that boys will be boys.

We cannot, nor should we attempt to legislate all morality. However, we must do more to change our culture. The change begins at home, how parents raise their children. Children can be taught respect by managing what they are exposed to and providing a moral context for what they see. This is best done by modeling on behalf of the parents.

Mothers should dress modestly and men should refrain from misogynistic behavior and commentary.

Our society must make it easier for women to report rapes. Statutes of limitations should be extended and women should be familiarized with resources at their disposal. We must also remove the stigma of victimization, and place it upon the perpetrator where it belongs.

Finally, we need to clean up our airwaves and bookshelves, best accomplished by refusing to partake of anything that objectifies women to generate interest.

Whatever happens, we need to try something. One rape is one too many. One rape every 6.2 minutes is an unimaginable tragedy that cries out to the heavens for justice. We ignore those cries at our own peril, and the peril of our daughters.

� 2013, Distributed by NEWS CONSORTIUM.
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Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: rape, rates, crime, statistics, morality, behavior, objectivifaction, women

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1 - 3 of 3 Comments

eithena
3 months ago
Listen when you think the biggest moneymaker in the world is porn what can we expect so long as this keeps going there will be no end to it i dont know how its going to stop but i do know that women and children always pay the highest price
Jade Riani
3 months ago
I think you forgot a KEY piece of information in this spiel. Most women are raped by someone they know! Sure random people commit rape but it is much more common for someone the victim knows to commit the crime. Rape is also not about immodesty, its about control. Many commit this horrible crime simply for the sake of proving they are in control.

You also greatly trivialized male rape. In Africa it is a huge problem with men often having no where to go because it is seen as "unmanly." The same sentiment pervades in our country too. The FBI doesn't even acknowledge that men can be raped so male victims that go unreported may be just as high or higher than unreported female victims. Often times even when boys are statutorily raped they are forced to pay child support!!!! Where does that come from? As a mother of a son if that happened to my kid I would be furious!!!!

I also don't think you can address rape without considering false rape too. We all saw in the case with the boys from Duke (they were unwise) what happened. It is in fact very easy for a woman to accuse a man of rape and he is pretty much at a loss. That is why I advised my son to stay away from girls as long as possible. We need to educate our sons how easy it is for them to loose their futures when it comes to rape (false or not). When I told my son about it, he definitely understood what I was telling him. Thankfully he will not see any girl in private now. Some girls have teased him about it but he doesn't need to be around them.
Emma
3 months ago
I agree with most of what the writer puts forth with the exception of extending the statute of limitations. Without physical evidence, accusations morph into a "he said, she said " and we also can't forget that every young man accused of a sex crime may not be guilty. We should educate young women and young men to report these crimes immediately so that evidence can be gathered in a timely manner. This assists with the prosecution and also defense of the unjustly accused.

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