ABSTRACT
Compared with other types of serious crimes, rape has a number of unique characteristics. First, it is difficult to know how frequently rape occurs because of its low reporting rate. Accurate estimates of the incidence and prevalence of rape are not readily available as the majority of victims do not report to the police, receive medical attention from hospitals, or seek help from services agencies such as rape crisis centers (Kilpatrick, Veronen, and Best, 1985). Second, rape is the only serious crime in which victims are generally held responsible for their own assaults. It is believed by many that people like to be overpowered sexually, that women say no but mean yes, and that women issue false reports regarding rape to save face, get even, or conceal pregnancy (Burt, 1980). Third, rape is treated distinctively in the courtroom. Rules of evidence have been unique and stringent (signs of resistance required as a proof of nonconsent and the need for third-party corroboration). Fourth, rape and abuse are selectively perpetrated by the male segment of the population and are selectively borne by the female segment of the population. Fifth, rape instills fear in women and serves to limit the freedom of women by placing constraints on their activities (Riger and Gordon, 1988). And sixth, unlike other crimes, there is considerable variation in what constitutes a real rape. Law enforcement agents and child protective service workers use the term unfounded when there is insufficient evidence, or the term false allegation to dismiss the complaint of a non-believable victim.
