Rape: Not Sexual Assault

When the word rape is said a chill goes down every woman's spine due to the horror of being raped.

For an adult woman it is the worst scenario possible. Life is changed in that moment or hours depending on how long the assault lasts. By identifying some sexual abuse as assault it may be technically more accurate and easier to prosecute, but it loses the impact of the word rape.

When that impact is lost, in my opinion, the horror watered down and it let's society think it is not as dastardly a deed.

Whatever you call it there is a life ruined. Yes, through counselling and with support life can be improved upon. What personal development and grief work will not take away is the invasive nature of a rape or sexual assault. It is an uninvited intrusion into a private part of a woman's body. She is the only person who should have control over that part of her physical being. Assault also rapes her soul.

Why would any human being want to hurt another so badly? Well there are some assumptions in this book if you are interested in potential profiles of rapists. Rape is a crime of violence not sex.

Rape is about power, control, domination and humiliation of the victim. The rapist is meeting their need with no regard to the needs of the victim. And, yes, men do get raped too for the same reasons. Marital, date, acquaintance as well as stranger rape is all about the power and control too.