There are sadly still many common myths
surrounding rape and other forms of sexual
violence; here are just a few:

Myth: Women shouldn't go out alone, especially
at night. Women are most likely to be raped
outside, by strangers in dark alleyways, and this
is the best way for a woman to protect herself.

Fact: Women are often advised to avoid sexual
violence by never walking alone at night. But in
fact, only around 10% of rapes are committed
by 'strangers'. Around 90% of rapes are
committed by known men; someone who the
survivor has previously known, trusted, often
even loved. People are raped in their homes,
their workplaces and other settings where they
have previously felt safe. Sometimes, the myth
that rape is most commonly perpetrated by
strangers can make the majority of survivors,
who have been raped or sexually assaulted by
someone they know, even less likely to report to
the police or even confide in someone close
about their experiences, for fear of not being
believed, out of a sense of shame or self-blame,
and/or because they have mixed feelings about
getting the perpetrator 'into trouble'. This myth
can also control women's movements and
restrict their rights and freedom.

Myth: Rape only happens to young, 'attractive'
women.

Fact: Many people believe that only a certain
'type' of woman is in danger of being raped or
sexually assaulted. In fact, people, and
especially women and girls, of all ages, classes,
culture, ability, sexuality, race and faith are
raped.
Some men joke or make comments about a
woman's appearance or age to indicate whether
she is sexually desirable or available. But the
perceived 'attractiveness' of a victim has very
little to do with sexual violence. Rape is an act of
violence not sex.

Myth: Everyone knows when a woman says no,
she often means yes.

Fact: Rape is a terrifying, violent and humiliating
experience that no-one wants or asks for.
Legally a person has the right to change their
mind about having sex at any point of sexual
contact. If a sexual partner does not stop at the
time a person says no, this is sexual assault. If a
person is in a relationship with someone or has
had sex with a person before, this does not
mean that they cannot be assaulted or raped by
that person. Consent must be given every time
two people engage in sexual contact. Sex
without consent is rape.

Myth: The woman was drunk / took drugs / was
hitch hiking / wore tight clothes / worked in the
sex industry / seduced him / probably got what
she was asking for.

Fact: If a person is unconscious or their
judgement is impaired by alcohol or drugs,
legally they are unable to give consent. Having
non-consensual sex with a person who is
intoxicated is rape.
Rapists use a variety of excuses to attempt to
discredit the women they rape and to justify
their crimes. But no-one asks or deserves to be
raped or sexually assaulted and 100% of the
responsibility for any act of sexual violence lies
with its perpetrator.
Media often refer to women in the 'roles' that
they have - 'young mum', 'grandmother',
'doctor's wife', 'prostitute' etc. - and describe
arbitrary factors like what she was wearing or
how she'd been behaving when she was
sexually assaulted. The implication is that some
women are more 'innocent' victims than others,
that some are more worthy of sympathy, or that
some women are partly to blame for their
experience of sexual violence.
The rules imposed on women's behaviour allow
rapists to shift the responsibility for rape onto
women wherever possible, so that rapists are
sometimes portrayed as victims of malicious
allegations, carelessness or stupidity. There is
no other crime in which so much effort is
expended to make the victim appear
responsible.

Myth: Women eventually relax and enjoy it.
They secretly want to be raped.

Fact: Women do not enjoy being raped. Victims
of murder, robbery and other crimes are never
portrayed as enjoying the experience.

Myth: The woman did not get hurt or fight back.
It couldn't have been rape.

Fact: Men who rape or sexually assault women
and girls will often use weapons or threats of
violence to intimidate women. The fact that
there is no visible evidence of violence does not
mean that a woman has not been raped.
Faced with the reality of rape, women make
second by second decisions, all of which are
directed at minimising the harm done to them.
At the point where initial resistance, struggling,
reasoning etc. have failed, the fear of further
violence often limits women's physcial
resistance. The only form of control that seems
available to women at this point is limiting the
harm done to them.
Many people who experience sexual violence
describe freezing or feeling paralysed with
shock or fear.

Myth: Men of certain races and backgrounds are
more likely to commit sexual violence.

Fact: There is no typical rapist. Studies show that
men who commit sexual violence come from
every economic, ethnic, racial, age and social
group.

Myth: Men who rape or sexually assault are
mentally ill or monsters.

Fact: Studies have indicated that as few as 5% of
men are psychotic at the time of their crimes.
Few convicted rapists are referred for
psychiatric treatment.

Myth: The man was drunk / on drugs /
depressed / under stress / wasn't himself.

Fact: Men use a variety of excuses to justify the
act of rape. There is never an excuse.

Myth: Once a man is sexually aroused he cannot
help himself. He has to have sex.

Fact: Most rapes are premeditated i.e. they are
either wholly or partially planned in advance.
Rapes committed by more than one perpetrator
are always planned. Men can quite easily
control their urges to have sex - they do not
need to rape a woman to satisfy them. Rape is
an act of violence - not sexual gratification. Men
who rape or sexually assault does so to
dominate, violate and control.

Myth: Men who rape are sexually frustrated / do
not have the opportunity to have sex with a
willing partner.

Fact: Men who rape are as likely as any other
man to be cohabiting or having a significant
relationship with a woman. More than one in
five women are raped by their partners or their
husbands.

Myth: Women often make up stories or lie about
being raped.

Fact: For anyone who has been raped or
sexually assaulted, whether or not to report to
the police can be a difficult decision. At present,
it's estimated that only 15% of the 85,000
women who are raped and over 400,000 who
are sexually assaulted in England and Wales
every year report. One significant reason many
women and girls tell us they don't go to the
police is because of their fear of not being
believed.
Unfortunately, a disproportionate media focus
on the very small number of cases each year
that involve a so-called false allegation of sexual
violence perpetuates the public perception that
malicious false reporting is common. In fact, it is
this perception that is entirely false. For many
years, studies have suggested that false
reporting rates for rape are no different from
false reporting rates for any other crime, that is,
around 4%. In March 2013, the Crown
Prosecution Service published a survey
confirming that false rape reports are 'very rare'
and suggesting they could make up less than 1%
of all reports. Read more here.

Myth: Women cannot rape.

Fact: The majority of sexual assaults and rapes
are committed by men against women and
children. Nonetheless, a small number of
women do perpetrate sexual violence. Often
women and children who've been sexually
assaulted or abused by women, for example
within their family or a same-sex relationship,
are particularly fearful that they will not be
believed, that their experiences won't be taken
seriously or won't be considered 'as bad' as
being raped by a man. This can make it difficult
for these survivors to access services or justice.
Adult men are also raped and sexually
assaulted. While Rape Crisis focuses particularly
on the needs and rights of women and girls, and
on providing specialist services within women-
only safe spaces, we of course recognise that
the impacts of sexual violence on the lives of
men and boys are no less devastating and we
believe all survivors of sexual violence deserve
specialist support. Find more information for
male survivors here.
In law, only a man can commit the offence of
Rape [Sec 1 (1) SOA 2003], as this is defined as
penetration with a penis. Non-consensual
penetration with something other than a penis
is defined as Sexual Assault by Penetration. For
those who've experienced sexual violence that
involved penetration by something other than a
penis, whoever the perpetrator was, these legal
definitions can feel restrictive, and as if their
experience is not considered as serious.
Rape Crisis provides specialist services to
women and girls who've experienced any form
of sexual violence at any time in their lives.
When we work with survivors, we are led by
them, encourage them to name and frame their
own experiences, and use the language that
they find most meaningful and respresentative,
rather than strict legal terminology.

Source or you wrote it yourself.

I swear i din read it(Finish)

You are so on point.
And nigerian police force are not even helping matters, when you report rape, they ask stupid questions like were u wearing smfin seductive? Did u tease/seduced him?
Jeez, if you seduced him, will you be there reporting rape?? Nd what they dont understnd is that the girls who dress half unclad are rarely raped. The rate at which rape is bin justified in this age is alarming!!

Rape...
Mr Op,are you a lawyer or law student?And again,are you of the opinion that the country's legal system has done little to curb the rape menace?