For the first time in more than 80 years, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation has expanded the definition of rape.
The old definition applied only to women and required some form of resistance and vaginal penetration for it to be considered rape. This completely alienated men and those who are incapable of putting up a fight as possible victims, entirely distorting what could have been an accurate account of the extent of this horrible crime.
In the new definition, men are included. Oral sex, anal sex and assault with an object are added as possible offenses, and resistance is no longer required—lack of consent is enough to make the action criminal.
This is important to cases when the victim is drugged, unconscious or mentally and physically incapable of giving consent.
The Obama administration claims the reason behind the change is to further understand a crime that is so rampant. Rape has long since been considered the most under-reported crime based on its very nature. Victims often think they did something to cause it, are embarrassed to report it or are not even sure if what happened to them can be considered a crime—especially since the majority of cases involve a pre-existing relationship with the attacker.
The question remains whether or not this change will cause people to come forward and lead to more accurate reporting of rape instances. The emotionally scarring aspect of rape leaves many hiding in shame rather than searching for justice. But if there is a more concrete meaning in place, perhaps those affected by sexual assault will be more willing to report it.
“If people know about it more and know the definition has been changed, they’ll gradually start to come forward,” said junior Annie Clift, a marine bio major. “It clears things up, victims would be sure that they were violated.”
Though the federal government has no impact on how states define rape, other states have already broadened the meaning of the crime. Hopefully the FBI’s recent change will encourage states that have yet to make changes to do so.
While this is a huge victory for both men and women, I can’t help but wonder why it took over eight decades for a change to be made. Women’s rights activists, victim advocates, gay rights activists and many other groups have long since been pushing for this, with little progress.
“I think it’s long overdue,” said sophomore communications major Christian Reich. “As far as a gay person’s perspective goes, I don’t think it should be different from a straight person’s. A lot of the problem seems to come from stereotypes. A straight guy gets raped by a man and gets made fun of for being gay. This causes the crime to go unreported.”
The American media is filled with violent images. The news rattles off updates in high-profile rape cases like baseball scores, meanwhile fictional shows like Law & Order and CSI dramatize what is happening in the real world as a means of entertainment.
We live amongst a constant demand for equality between the sexes, yet a woman previously couldn’t claim she was violated by saying someone had sex with her while she was unconscious, or a man couldn’t even say he was raped in any circumstance under the technical definition of the law. Sure, there have been allowances made and specific situations taken into consideration, but the fact remains that it took the better part of a century to make violation and equal term and take blame off of the victim. Perhaps our current time of mass desensitization also calls for a new understanding of what this crime really is and how it affects people.
But like many other overdue updates in our justice system, we can at least be thankful that someone finally came to their senses in hopes of ending violent acts.
Much like any other monster that must be sought and destroyed, the crime of rape must first be understood. Because of the vast amount of under-reporting, the true extent of this offense has yet to be uncovered. Hopefully the broader definition of rape will lessen the fear within victims that they will go unheard and encourage them to come forward. The more knowledge that is gained, the greater the possibility of ending a devastating crime that has held its power within the weakness of the law for much too long.
Hannah Webster can be reached at hannahkarine31@gmail.com