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Descriptive terms
for types of rape and sexual assault
reconstructing rape
descriptions
The Pain of
rape is often invisible.
The purpose of this
page is to help build up the vocabulary of sexual trauma in order to help
victims communicate better.
See also: Vocabulary
of trauma
Part of the politically
correct movement was to create a vocabulary so that people could discuss
issues around discrimination more easily. This discussion by and large
left rape survivors out of the fold. It is still considered a gray area
of which the public knows little. The purpose of an agreed on vocabulary
is to make sure that everyone knows what you mean when you use a certain
word. This makes sure everyone is on the same page. It is very useful
to some survivors in the sense that giving a name to pain can be empowering.
It can also help survivors communicate with providers if both have the
common language to understand concepts like self injury and self blame.
Otherwise nothing will be communicated and no one will be helped. If there
is not a word for it- how can you say it?
Studies have found
that people who dissociate also have communication disorders. "Grounding
techniques and specific language interventions can assist ... in acquiring
the vocabulary needed for communicating both their daily experiences and
traumatic histories."(Yehuda, 2005) Part of this is due to the fact
that PTSD shuts off communication
with the part of the brain that controls/operates language and logic functions.
The pain of rape is
invisible. It's not the physical scars or stitches that need to heal.
Rape actually damages
the brain when the victim develops PTSD from the trauma and the stigma.
This is what needs to heal. Therefore the description of the rape-type
needs to include it's psychological impact rather than solely the physical
interaction.
"Though a rape
victim may not sustain substantial physical tissue damage, rapists may
inflict significant psychological trauma by asserting uninvited domination,
control, and power over the unwilling other" (Brownsmiller, 1975).
This is called victim
impact.
"Talking about
non-violent rape is sort of like talking about a poisoning."I am
not violent.I only poisoned her.It is not like I shot her or beat her"To
which I reply"Umm she is DEAD that is as violent as it gets.It
doesn't matter if you used poison or a gun.You took her life from her""
(Allen Bradbury)
An example of the
type of non-physical suffering experienced:
"Ream, of course,
was anything but fine. No court of law could lock away her pain and
anger as she worked to rebuild her life. For the next two years, "I
had a lot of trouble sleeping," she says. "I was very depressed."
And scared. "You have nightmares, and you're afraid if someone
walks up behind you, even if it's someone you know," she says.
Even some distant friends and family couldn't grasp the depth of her
trauma. "I was living with three girlfriends at the time, and I'd
wake up two or three nights a week screaming," she says. "One
of my roommates' friends-a woman-said, 'This happened six months ago;
shouldn't she be over this by now?...In 2003 she launched the Voices
and Faces Project'"" (Comander, 2006).
In reconstructing
the description of rape the victim's perspective is essential. There is
a dichotomy between how rape survivors think about rape and how spectators
think of it. A group discussion within the survivor community produced
the following format for communicating a description of the victim's experience:
1) Category
of physical contact/
2) Type
of rapist (percieved intent of rapist) /
3) Effects
of rape: psychological and-or physical results and aftermath (victim
impact)
The description would
follow this format:
Physical/Intent/Effects
1/Types of rape (category of physical
contact):
[This category mostly
appeals to non-survivors. Survivors know that the psychological pain is
pretty much the same regardless of what level of violence was used. If
someone beat you up in a bar that might be extremely violent-but not give
you PTSD. If someone you thought cared about you violated you personally
that probably would cause you alot of greif.]
- Stranger rape
-Blitz Sexual Assault
-Contact Sexual Assault
-Home Invasion Sexual Assault
- Statutory rape
- Child sexual abuse and incest
- Acquaintance or "date"
rape
- Spousal rape or partner rape
- Gang rape
- Drug facilitated rape
- Communicative or verbal / Virtual
reality rape and abuse (such as A
Rape in Cyber Space- graphic)
- Forcible touching - intentionally
and for no legitimate purpose forcibly touch the sexual or other intimate
parts of another for the purpose of degrading or abusing their victim
or gratifying the actor's sexual desire.
- Nonconsensual "noncontact
- such as voyeurism is also considered sexual violence."
(Esposito, 2006)
- Sexual
coercion - is defined as any situation in which one
person uses verbal or physical means (including the administration of
drugs or alcohol, with or without the other person's consent) to obtain
sexual activity against consent. ( Adams-Curtis & Forbes, 2004)
- Non-consensual tribadism or
frottage.
- Non-consensual cunnilingus.
~
-
Types of abuse
: Psychological abuse, Humiliation / Intimidation, Mobbing / Bullying,
Hate speech / Manipulation, Stalking / Relational aggression, parental
alienation, Psychological torture, Psychiatric torture, Mind control
/ Shunning, Coercive persuasion
- Mobbing - "This
phenomenon has been referred to as "mobbing", "ganging
up on someone", "bullying" or "psychological
terror". In this type of conflict, the victim is subjected
to a systematic, stigmatizing process and encroachment of his or
her civil rights." (The
Mobbing Encyclopaedia)
- Hate speech - See
hate crimes.
- Secondary victimization/wounding
- see sv page.
2/Type of rapist - victim's perception
of the intent of the rapist/motive - These are based on
rapist's profiles: power-assertive rapist, power-reassurance rapist, anger-retaliatory
rapist, anger-excitation rapist. (Groth)
[This category is important to
include because most rapes are not about lust or sex. They are about power,
control and at times violence. While not relevent to a court of law- percieved
intent is important for the victim to be able to voice their feelings
about what type of interaction the sexual assault was.]
Perceived...
- Intent to humiliate
- degrade
- disempower
- intent to punish (power, hate
crime)
- intent to control (power)
- intent for sexual gratification
- intent to inflict bodily harm
- intent to terrorize
- sexual exploitation
- shame
- to show ownership of the victim
- all of the above
3/
Victim impact / Effects
of the rape - To most victims the effects of the rape are the most
important thing of all. It addresses the changes in self image, thinking,
functioning and major life changes suffered as a direct result of the
rape. This is something the victim often has to deal with for their entire
life. It's not usually temporary.
"Victim
impact statements usually describe the harm the offense has had on
the victim, including descriptions of the financial, physical, psychological
or emotional impact, harm to familial relationships, descriptions of any
medical treatments or psychological services required by the victim or
the victim's family as a result of the victimization, and the need for
any restitution. "
Rape has certain
consistent effects
which many survivors suffer regardless of the type of interaction with
the perpetrator. This also includes somatic (body) symptoms "Sexual
assault was also a significant statistical predictor of having multiple
sick days in the prior 6 months and of being a high utilizer of primary
care visits in the prior 6 months. These data confirm a strong association
between sexual trauma exposure and somatic symptoms, illness attitudes
and healthcare utilization in women." ( Stein et. al., 2004)
a/ Psychological brain changes---Invisible
damage / psychological damage -
PTSD brain altering damage
Undeserved shame or guilt as part
of self blame
PSYCHIC trauma
b/ Pain and suffering ---Long term
life-altering changes/effects of rape - loss of ability to work, having
to drop out of school, ostracism due to the stigma of rape such as secondary
victimization (reactions of others).
c/ Physical--- Scars or injuries.
d/ Advocates
also list the four
injuries all crime victims suffer: physical, financial, social and
emotional.
About social injuries or secondary
victimization:
"Social Injury
In the earlier section on The Four Injuries, the social injury was described.
If a victim is treated with dignity, compassion and respect, she may
have less difficulty dealing with these immediate and long-term crisis
reactions. If she is treated poorly, these reactions may be made worse.
When such reactions are worsened, the actions of others are called the
"social injury." Some examples of social injuries are as follows:
* The law enforcement officer
or a family member may not believe the victim when she tries to report
a crime. For a crime victim with a disability, in particular, the social
injury may occur when the victim realizes that other people may not
believe her simply because of her disability.
* The story about the crime may be reported in the newspaper, on the
television or radio, or may be a source of "gossip" in the
community. This can embarrass the victim, especially if the facts are
reported incorrectly, if personal information about the victim is given,
or if the victim is made to appear foolish.
* Family, friends or even a clergy member may not be helpful or understanding.
They may "blame" the victim (not always on purpose) for what
happened or they may not want the victim to talk about it because it
could cause the family shame.
* Doctors or nurses may not always identify physical injuries as being
crime-related.
* Other sources of social injury include mental health professionals,
social service workers, victim service workers, schools or educators,
victim compensation systems, disability program workers, and employers."
Example sentence:
Type of rape/Type of rapist
or percieved intent of rapist/Effects of rape: psychological or the four
injuries
It might sound like this:
Drug facilitated fraternity gang
rape with perceived intent to humiliate, control and degrade. The effects
being life long PTSD, a life threatening eating disorder, temporary self
injury and permanent OCD as well as social injuries of stigma of shame.
Books on defining
rape
Defining
Rape by Bourque, Linda Brookover
Find
this in
a library
"Defining Rape consists of
four sections. The first illustrates the variability of rape definitions
used in court cases and by professionals, victims, perpetrators, and laypeople.
The second reviews in detail existing research on women victims and male
assailants, social-psychological findings based on attribution theory,
changing legal definitions of the crime of rape, and studies of community
attitudes toward rape. The third section reports the design, findings,
and conclusions of the Los Angeles County survey. In the final section
survey results are compared with previous research, showing the implications
for theory and practice."
Bibliographies on
defining rape
Research
resources on defining rape
http://www.questia.com/search/rape-defining
References:
Yehuda, Na'ama (2005). The Language
of Dissociation. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, Vol 6(1), pp. 9-29.
Jerome, Richard; Comander, Lauren
(2006). FACES OF RAPE. People, 3/20/2006, Vol. 65 Issue 11, p199-202,
3p.
Esposito, Noreen (2006). Women
with a History of Sexual Assault. American Journal of Nursing, Vol. 106
Issue 3, p69-73, 4p
Stein, Murray B.; Lang, Ariel J.;
Laffaye, Charlene; Satz, Leslie E.; Lenox, Rebecca J.; Dresselhaus, Timothy
R. (2004). Relationship of sexual assault history to somatic symptoms
and health anxiety in women. General Hospital Psychiatry, May2004, Vol.
26 Issue 3, p178
Adams-Curtis, Leah E.; Forbes,
Gordon B. (2004). COLLEGE WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES OF SEXUAL COERCION. Trauma,
Violence & Abuse, Vol. 5 Issue 2, p91-122
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