Facts on rape dissolve the myths

JAKARTA (JP): If rape happens, often it is the victim who is ostracized. Instead of being pitied, a woman is accused of asking to be raped because she dresses daringly, or because she walks on her own at night.

Kalyanamitra, a center for Women's Information and Communication, categorizes misconceptions about rape as false myths. It presents facts to counter the myths.

Myth: Rape is a spontaneous act driven by unbearable libido.

Fact: Some rape cases occur without any plan, but there are more premeditated cases. Some rapists observe their victims' habits and daily activities. For example, they may monitor the routes often taken by an intended victim, where they live and work, etc. Later a rapist may choose a particular place and design a situation which enables him to rape. Facts show that from 185 rapes reported and published in mass media last year, 73 percent were well-planned. Kalyanamitra gave an example of a rape that happened in Medan. After watching a sex scene in a film, AM persuaded two of his friends to practice what he had seen and planned to rape a neighborhood girl. Later, they took the girl to a nearby house and raped her.

Myth: A rapist is usually a stranger to the victim.

Fact: A rapist can be anyone. In many cases victims know the rapists well; they could be the victim's friend, boyfriend, relative, acquaintance or husband. Some 75 percent of the 185 investigated cases last year showed that the rapists were known to the victims.

Myth: A rapist is someone who is insane or who has psychological problems.

Fact: Rape is also committed by those who are sane and don't have any psychological problems. From last year's 185 cases, only one of the rapists was considered to be mentally deranged.

Myth: A female victim is a person who has a daring and alluring appearance.

Fact: Rape victims range from children and women wearing clothes that fully cover the body, to old women.

Myth: Women have a penchant to be raped, and enjoy it as a release of their suppressed sexual urges.

Fact: No rape victim has ever wanted it to happen to them. After a rape, many victims have mental breakdowns and experience traumas which makes it difficult for them to carry on with their normal lives. A victim may have had a good relationship with the rapist before the ordeal, but it is still rape if sexual intercourse happens without the victim's consent.

Myth: Rape victims are always female.

Fact: Males can be victims of rape as well, but most victims are female. From the 185 cases, one involved the rape of five boys.

Myth: Rapists are all uneducated criminals.

Fact: Anybody, from any social class, can rape. A rapist could be a respected member of the community. Reports of teachers committing rape is quite common.

Myth: Rape occurs only in dark, quiet places, often at night.

Fact: Rape can happen anywhere and anytime, including in a victim's own home at midday. In February last year, a girl was raped in her own house by SKM, a boy who rented a room in her house in Yogyakarta. (als)