What's behind the dramatic rise in rapes?

Lynn Norment

RAPE. It can happen anywhere, to any woman, and lately it seems to be happening everywhere to an alarming and increasing number of women. Corporate executives are not immune; nor are children, wives and grandmothers. It takes place in dark alleys and deserted parking lots, but also in college dorms and in private homes. While many of its victims are poor and powerless, others are wealthy and even famous.

And the perpetrators of this ofttimes violent, degrading crime are more likely to be acquaintances than strangers.

The statistics are startling. In 1990, the number of rapes reported in the United States exceeded 100,000 for the first time, shattering the previous record of 94,504. More than half the states had a record number of rapes.

Every five minutes, a woman is raped in the United States. That translates into 12 women raped every hour, nearly 300 every day.

And that only accounts for the approximately 7 percent of rapes that are reported to authorities. Officials estimate that, in reality, as many as 2 million women are raped each year, with the majority of them not reporting this violent crime because of the stigma that society still imposes on the victim.

Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., D-Del., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, recently released a report indicating that rape "has reached epidemic proportions" in the U.S. "American women are in greater peril now from attack than they have ever been in the history of our nation," he says.

Just why are so many men resorting to this senseless, violent crime? Why has the rape rate increased four times faster than the overall crime rate during the past 10 years? Just what is it about our American society that makes tens of thousands of men feel they can sexually assault women at will?

Those who have studied this social malignancy point to American society's overwhelming obsession with sex and violence, which are promoted in the press, sensationalized on television and popularized in the movies. On prime-time television and the silver screen, naked bodies and explicit lovemaking have become as common as a kiss or embrace. Violent movies are all the rage, and many such films include aggressive, if not violent, sex.

"Media condone violence and society is addicted to it," says Dr. William Hobson, director of the sex offender program at the Connecticut Correctional Institute at Somers. "The higher the violence level, the higher the rape rate. Sex is tremendously powerful and holds great importance in our society. It is used to sell things that have nothing to do with sex. Sex has become a larger-than-life issue."

Dr. James E. Savage Jr., director of the Institute for Life Enrichment in Washington, D.C., which focuses on problems of Black men, agrees that exposure to violence can lead people to violent behavior. "There's an unconscious part of ourselves that tends to sometimes become uncontrolled," he says. "Society has a lot of loose boundaries as it relates to violence, and it permits this to manifest."

Lt. Shirley Britton, commander of the sex crimes unit of the Atlanta Police Department, adds that some rapes are prompted by drug use. She cites the case of two young Atlanta men who raped a 12-year old girl and her mother. The assailants viciously beat and robbed the husband. "It was strictly for money for drugs," says Lt. Britton. "Later when we arrested them we found drugs on the scene. One perpetrtor started crying right there and confessed. It was his first offense, but his accomplice was convicted of eight counts of rape."

Also contributing to the rising rape statistics is the fact that more women now are reporting rape, even acquaintance and date rape. "Women are no longer staying in the background and being afraid," says Lt. Britton. "They are coming forward and telling what has happened to them."

Many argue tht the only way to discourage potential rapists is for women to report rape, even when the attacker is a family member, date or other acquaintance.

RAPE is sexual activity forced upon an individual against theindividual's will. It is a sexual expression of aggression rather than an aggressive expression of sexuality, says Dr. Hobson. He and other experts says rape primarily is rooted in nonsexual motivation in the psychology of the offender; it is tied to hostility and anger and the need to exert power and control. Passion and sexuality are not the primary motivators.

This anger and thrist for power stem from the fact that the rapist himself feels powerless, worthless and has exceptionally low self-esteem, according to psychologists who have studied rapists. In addition to feeling that he has no control of his life, the rapist views other men as competitors and adversaries, and women as untrustworthy, manipulative and exploitative.

"Rape is a real power trip," says Alvine F. Poussaint, M.D., associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "It's an act to control and subdue someone perceived as weaker or vulnerable, and to act out rage in that way. When someone rapes his date, it's a power trip in the same way."

Dr. Savage emphasizes that American society promotes power, status and prestige. 'Some people become hyped on this and find ways to also be powerful and filled with status and prestige," he says. "Taking advantage of other people tends to align itself with some of what society is promoting, and at the same time it counters some of the feeling of inadequacy."

Dr. Savage and Dr. Poussaint agree that this is more significant for Blacks because, due to racism and poverty, a sense of powerlessness and low self-esteem is pervasive in the Black community. "There may be higher levels of anoger because of how Blacks are treated, because of rejection," says Dr. Poussaint. "This feeling of rejection is displaced onto women. When a rapist attacks a woman, he feels he's won a battle for control, and he is momentarily bolstered with self-esteem. That's what is so crazy about it."

This in part may account for why a greater proportion of offenders is Black, and consequently, so are the victims. Numerous studies indicate that rapists usually choose victims of the samerace and in their own environments; more than 60 percent pick victims they actually know. According to the FBI, Black women are twice as likely to be raped as white women. A 10-year study found that 75 percent of rape victims are from low-income families. because rape is a crime of opportunity, Black women are especially vulnterable since many live in high-crime areas and depend on public transportation.

Confounding the problem of rape is the raging debate on when sex between acquaintances is actually rape. Some women's groups maintain that any forced sex in which the woman does not consent is rape, regardless of whether the couple previously have been intimate. On the other hand, some men accused of date rape feel they are wrongly accused when actually they were teased and misled by women who later cry rape.

Lt. Britton says that in the last two years, the court system has been much more responsive to victims of acquaintance and date rape. "The courts now know that this crime does occur and that these women are victims and that they do not necessarily contribute to the act of rape," she says. "We have prosecuted date rape cases and we have won in court."

Studies on men convicted of rape indicate that they believe aggression is key for survival. They have few friends, can't cope with life, and are angry and depressed. According to research, as many as 85 percent have been physically or sexually abused, or feel they have been emasculated. Some were abandoned, neglected or exploited as children.

Dr. Hobson and Dr. A. Nicholas Groth are co-authors of a study in which rape offenders are profiled in three major categories. The unpremediated violent attack of the "anger" rapist is prompted by hatred and resentment. His frustration is misdirected against a substitute victim. The sexual assault is planned by the "power" rapist, who has fantasies of sexual domination and a need to feel powerful to overcome his deep-seated insecurities. The "sadistic" rapist carefully plans his ritualistic assault, which frequently involves bondage, torture and sexual abuse. Aggression and sexuality become inseparable.

A Chicago writer recalls the horror of a sadistic rape she experienced as a college student after she ended a relationship. "I broke up with him because I just couldn't get over the gut feeling that something just wasn't right with him," she says, shivering at the recollection. "I had been dating him for a year, but it just wasn't working out. He was jealous, possessive, very insecure--and that was always a problem in our relationship. But I never thought he'd turn into a brutal rapist."

After she ended the relationship, the man begged to see her "one last time." He then forced her into a hotel room, tied her up, and savagely beat and raped her. He also repeatedly put a gun to her head and pulled the trigger. It was not loaded.

The next day, he begged for forgiveness.

"He was a very, very sick man," the writer says. "I knew he was emotionally unbalanced, but I just didn't realize the extent of it."

A New York publicist for a major record company also was raped as a student. While walking to night registration at her high school with an acquaintance who said he was also going to register, he attacked her in a deserted stairwell. "Throughout the whole thing he just stared at me with a smirk on his face, like he was laughing at me," she recalls. "It's funny how that smirk almost bothered me more than anything else, because it was like he was saying, 'Ha, I have control over you!'"

Due to shame and fear of being blamed, these two women told no one about their attacks. They are representative of the majority of victims--many of them students--who are raped by acquaintances and do not report the assaults to the police or seek counseling.

Dr. Gail E. Wyatt, a professor of medical psychology at UCLA who has studied rape victims, says African-American women are the least likely to disclose sexual assaults on them. In testimony before a congressional committee on rape, Dr. Wyatt said that most rape victims experience physical and psychological problems for which they rarely receive professional help. She says that even years later some rape victims report feeling depressed, avoiding sex and having sexual problems in general.

Dr. Wyatt and lt. Britton both encourage women to report rape and seek counseling. "You should not sit home and suffer in silence," says Lt. Britton. "The first step to recovery is to report the crime and try to bring the person to justice."

"Reporting rape is an empowering experience," says Dr. Wyatt. "To be treated with respect, to be believed--even if the perpetrator is never caught, the victim feels validated."

Dr. Wyatt says she reminds rape victims that Black women were raped for hundreds of years and had no recourse. "Now we have more control over our lives, and we must break the cycle of silence around rape," she says.

In addition, she and others who work with rape victims emphasize that the social ills that foster sexual assaults must be corrected. "Tolerance for sex and violence is out of control in our communities," says Dr. Wyatt. She urges Black women and men both to speak out against sex and violence in the media, and parents to screen the information their children are exposed to in movies, television, music and publications. Programs to identify and counsel men at risk of becoming rapists also are needed.

According to the FBI, the average age of a rapist is 19. Consequently, says Lt. Britton, young people must be educated about rape starting in elementary school. "We must teach our young men and women that rape is a crime of violence and it will not be tolerated in this society; women should be respected," she says. "If we can teach our children that, I believe we can make a great impact on rape."

COPYRIGHT 1991 Johnson Publishing Co.
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group