neverwhere

All this Polanski business, and all the celebrity support for Polanski/endorsement of his actions (however misguided and misinformed it might have been) speaks mostly to current attitudes towards rape, sexual assault, and sex with adolescent minors.

And these attitudes are nothing of what they should be by now. To have to remind anyone that rape is wrong and indefensible is tragic.

Some sobering stats from here:

Rape Affects Everyone

• Around the world at least 1 in 3 women has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Most often the abuser is a member of her own family. (John Hopkins School of Public Health 2000)
• 77% of rapes are committed by someone known to the person raped. (Bureau of Justice Statistics 1997)
• According to the National Victim Center, 683,000 women are raped each year. (1992)
• Only 2% of rapists are convicted and imprisoned. (US Senate Judiciary Committee 1993)
• 6 out of 10 rapes are reported by victims to have occurred in their own home or home of a friend, relative or neighbor. (US Dept. of Justice 1997)

Rape in College

• In a study of 6,000 students at 32 colleges in the US, 1 in 4 women had been the victims of rape or attempted rape. (Warshaw, Robin 1994 “I Never Called It Rape”)
• 42% of rape victims told no one and only 5% reported it to the police. (Warshaw 1994)
• Of the nearly 3000 male students surveyed, 1 in 12 male students surveyed had committed acts that met the legal definition of rape or attempted rape. (Warshaw 1994)
• Of these college males who committed rape (as legally defined), 84% said what they did was definitely not rape. (Warshaw 1994)
• In another study, 13% of college women indicated they had been forced to have sex in a dating situation. (Johnson and Sigler, Jnl. of Interpersonal Violence, 2000)
• A study of 477 male students, mostly 1st and 2nd year students, found 56% reported instances of non-assaultive coercion to obtain sex. Examples included: threatening to end a relationship; falsely professing love; telling lies to render her more sexually receptive. (Boeringer 1996, Violence Against Women:5)
• Of the 22 substances used in drug facilitated rape, alcohol is the most common finding in investigations. (Jnl. of Forensic Sciences 1999)

I certainly hope these have lessened since they were compiled, as many are 10-15 years old. However … with attitudes what they seem to be … I am not optimistic.