It's Not Just Unacceptable Behavior. It Is A Crime. | Teen Ink

It's Not Just Unacceptable Behavior. It Is A Crime.

June 1, 2017
By taylor18 BRONZE, Marlborough, Massachusetts
taylor18 BRONZE, Marlborough, Massachusetts
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Rapists should have a stronger punishment. This crime is so detrimental to a person’s well-being and health. Do you have the right understanding of what rape is? Well, rape is a crime in which one person has sexual intercourse with another without that person’s consent.  (“Rape”) One in five women have been the victim of attempted or completed rape in their lives. Would you allow men to continue rape?


Rape changes a woman’s life. Some physical symptoms in the aftermath of rape that may occur are headache, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and a lack of appetite. Also, “rape victims have the risk of being killed or seriously injured, becoming pregnant, contracting STD’s, such as HIVS/AIDS, and finally PTSD.” (“Rape”) Why do men think it’s okay to rape? Clearly it is not, so I believe anyone who takes part in this crime should be put into jail time for a lifetime or 9-14 years. Rape is wrong because it violates the honor, dignity, and respect of a woman and their family. 


The rapists should get longer jail time or harsher consequences. I strongly believe this because rape isn’t good for the world. It makes women look and feel powerless; as if women can’t take care of themselves. These men just do it for their amusement and they just leave these girls into pieces. They need to understand that what they are doing is wrong. To continue, they should be put in jail longer, given fines, community services, life with parole, etc. Just a couple years of jail time does not mean that the rapist will learn their lesson. However, this, in fact,  cannot explain how severe the rape is going to be or what will happen during the time of the event. “If convicted of rape, the penalties can vary according to circumstances and evidence provided during the trial.” (“Rape”)
All kinds of rape including acquaintance rape, marital rape, and statutory rape is very effective. No matter what kind of rape it needs to be stopped. Yes, I understand that rape isn’t going to just stop, but at least give the rapists a crueler punishment it will have people hopefully realizing that it’s not worth it. After all, the crime has now been expanded to apply to both male and female. Also, not just physical force, but now using threats or deception to get the victim to submit. This proves that rape is spreading rapidly and happening more often and now to males. Will you let this continue? Rape used to just consist of “everyday men raping everyday women.” (Rebecca Pearson) But, now it’s also women raping men.


“According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), 84,041 rapes were reported to law enforcement agencies in the United States in 2014.” (“Rape”) Imagine how many people today in 2017 are being raped. Rape can happen in any environment and any age. “Who is most likely to be assaulted or raped? Maestas stresses that rapists choose those who are vulnerable, which is why children and even the elderly are at risk. Her staff has worked with victims of all backgrounds and ages, including a 94-year-old woman who was raped and a three-and-a-half-week-old baby who was sexually abused. Half the victims the staff served in emergency rooms were under 14 years of age.” (Mary Dickson)  How is this okay for the rapists?


Why do reporters cause the rape victims if it was their fault? Questions like these:
What were you wearing that night?
Were you drinking?
People say “she was asking for it?”


“Rape culture is when we teach women how to not get raped, instead of teaching men not to rape.” (Zerlina Maxwell) People are starting to believe that it’s the woman’s or the girl’s fault. However, I can continually explain how this is not true. For example, they might have been wearing something to get guys attention. But, I’m sure they don’t mean it as if they want to be rapped. Who wants to be raped? Even if the female is drunk or high it is not their fault. This is true because they aren’t fully functioning when they are in that situation and they might not even have any idea of what is going on. That is when the girl will sexually assault them.


Finally, I strongly believe that rapists should get a harsher punishment when committing the crime. NO MEANS NO, SO STOP BEFORE YOU CHANGE SOMEONE'S LIFE….

 

 


Bibliography
Rape-Opposing Viewpoints. Gale, n.d. Web. 16 May 2017.
"Criminal Penalties for a Rape Conviction." Sexoffenderattorney. N.p., 2017. Web.
"On Arguing With Men About Rape." The Vagenda. Rebecca Pearson, n.d. Web. 8 July 2014.
Rape, the Most Intimate of Crimes. Mary Dickson, n.d. Web. 1996.
"Rape Culture Is Real." TIME. Zerlina Maxwell, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.



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