A Definition Revisited and Revised
For the first time since 1928, the legal definition of ‘rape’ has been changed.
The J. Edgar Hoover Building, located in Washington D.C., is the headquarters of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the government agency that produces the Uniform Crime Report.
When one thinks of rape, many thoughts come to mind. When asked how rape makes him feel, senior Nathan Duncan explained, “Sadness, because it hurts many people and destroys their lives.” Duncan was right, rape is a morose subject that most would want to steer clear of. Due to the inherent habit of humans to ignore uncomfortable subjects, we tend to forget how pressing the issue truly is. Not only do we forget, but we end up having close-minded views on these issues.
Rape was once defined as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” In this definition there is no mention of males being victim, or the acknowledgement of a woman being the perpetrator. This definition also limits rape to sexual intercourse, not anal or oral sex, nor the inclusion of objects that could be used. Also, by requiring rape to be a “forcible” act, it automatically shuts out the victims who were unconscious or in a discerning state of mind at the time of the assault. This is what the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report (UCR) characterized as rape and has remained unchanged since 1928. This archaic definition of rape has skewed our statistics of the topic up until 2012, when the Feminist Majority Foundation led a campaign called “Rape is Rape,” which was dedicated to modifying the UCR’s narrow view of the crime. They asked supporters to send an email to the FBI, asking them to revise their definition. The FBI soon received over 160,000 emails pleading them to reexamine their ancient interpretation of rape.
December 6, 2012, due to popular demand, the UCR finally agreed to revise their outdated definition, changing it to “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” This elucidation of their previous definition of rape is more stringent, does not specify on the gender of the victim or the perpetrator, and includes all ways of penetration.
To many, the UCR is viewed as the the nation’s’ ‘report card’ on crime, meaning that we should strive to exceed expectations. However, can we expect to exceed expectations, when we’ve been misinterpreting heinous crimes for almost a hundred years?
PCNN reporters asked students one question: how does one define rape? A majority of, if not all, students had the same interpretation. Senior Katie Huynh’s definition epitomizes students interpretation of rape: “Any unwanted physical connection or forced physical contact between any two people or more.” Most would agree with Katie, some would even believe that this is the understood, universal definition of rape. Yet, if one were to examine the recent change from the UCR, they would then be more aware of America’s primitive view on rape.
In the end, we all have different definitions of what constitutes as rape. Those who have more knowledge on the issue would obviously have different definitions than those who don’t. This certain predicament with the UCR is significant because their outdated definition represents how we view rape as a country; however, we cannot ignore the fact that we are making progress in our understanding. More people are opening their minds, and are becoming aware of this crucial issue. There is no question that this update is long overdue, but fact that the FBI made the necessary changes is an amazing breakthrough that gives all equality activist hope for their cause.
