The Real Rape Cultures
Before I begin, rape is very bad and rapists deserve severe punishments. OK? OK.
“A survey by South Africa’s Medical Research Council in June 2009 found that 1 in 4 South African men admitted to having “had sex with a woman when she didn’t consent,” and 46% of those said they had done so more than once.” — http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2057744,00.html
“…21% of Ghanaian women reported in one survey that their sexual initiation was by rape; 17% of Nigerian women said that they had endured rape or attempted rape by the age of 19…” (Half the Sky, pg. 62).
“Around 22 percent had been forced by their partners [in the Congo] to have sex or perform sexual acts against their will, the study showed, implying that sexual abuse often happened at home.” — http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/12/world/africa/12congo.html?mcubz=1
“A man in his mid-twenties, when asked about why men rape, said that those who raped were sure that they could do whatever they wanted to women and/or children because they had the power. He further explained that the main reasons why they raped were sexual frustration, lack of self-awareness, lack of self-esteem, and due to both family and community environment. Furthermore, Ethiopian culture tolerates sexual violence against girls and women. Abduction and early marriage, always followed by rape, are the norms in some parts of our society.” — http://preventgbvafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/panosreflect5.excerpts.pdf
“It is estimated that more than 2 million young women live with untreated obstetric fistula in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.” — http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/obstetric_fistula/en/
A specific story on a fistula case: Soldiers from the Hutu Interahamwe militia in the Congo near Dina’s home ambushed her when she was checking on her crops. All five men raped her and one shoved a stick inside her, which resulted in her being paralyzed as urine and feces trickled down her legs (Half the Sky, pg. 85).
But where is America in this list?
The statistic that “1 in 4” or “1 in 5” women will be raped at American college campuses simply isn’t true. Here’s why:
“Overall, these comparisons illustrate that estimates such as “1 in 5” or “1 in 4” as a global rate, across all IHEs [institutes of higher education] is at least oversimplistic, if not misleading. None of the studies that generate estimates for specific IHEs are nationally representative. The above results show that the rates vary greatly across institutions.” — https://www.aau.edu/sites/default/files/%40%20Files/Climate%20Survey/AAU_Campus_Climate_Survey_12_14_15.pdf (this is the study itself).
“…only 19.3 percent of students who were contacted actually responded to the survey… and that even they were not likely to be prepresentative of the student body within their own schools.”
“An analysis of… non-response bias found [that] estimates may be too high because non-victims may have been less likely to participate.” (both this paragraph and the one above come from this source — http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-earp/1-in-4-women-how-the-late_b_8191448.html).
Also, something to keep in mind is that most people have a different definition of sexual assault. Catcalling might be considered sexual assault for one person, yet another may that a guy twerking on her is. Yet in the study, there wasn’t a specific definition for sexual assault.
In recent decades, instances of rape have been decreasing in the United States:

And according to The Department of Justice (Bureau of Justice Statistics), only “1 in 52 college women were raped or sexually assaulted” (http://www.aei.org/publication/new-justice-department-study-reveals-1-52-6-college-women-victims-rapesexual-assault/).
1 in 52 is too high for a developed country, however, it’s far from 1 in 4 or 1 in 5.
This “1 in 4” and “1 in 5” number is very close to numbers I listed for countries like The Congo. As far as I know, we do not live in a war-torn country. In fact, we are among the most priveleged in the world by having the choice to go to college.
If we keep spreading this misinformation, it takes attention away from women who have actually been raped, especially in developing countries. Why can’t we fight for women who are raped on a daily basis, through no fault of their own? Where misogyny truly exists? Are we really that far into our bubble that we can’t even consider true cases of rape in other countries?
It’s also important to note that wrongly accused men are affected by false accusations as well. Not only do they have the risk of going to jail, but the risk of having society look down on them. Recently, Jemma Beale was arrested for falsely accusing 15 men of raping her and causing one to stay in jail for two years — http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4818874/Jemma-Beale-jailed-10-years.html
If you have firmly believed in the rape culture, it’s OK to admit that you’re wrong. In fact, I found I was wrong too once upon a time. That’s the first step in attempting to make lives better, for those actually affected by rape.
Here are some awesome charities/nonprofits you can support that can not only mitigate poverty, but prevent rape from happening:
Share the Meal — With a couple clicks on your phone, you can give as little as 50 cents for one meal. This month, the choices are Northeast Nigeria and Haiti. In the past, Yemen, Lebanon, Cameroon, South Sudan, Malawi, Bekaa Valley, Lesotho, and Syria have received over 15 million meals from this organization.
Kiva International — This website gives you a list of categories you can lend money to, some including women, men, single parents, and conflict in countries like Tanzania, Peru, Cambodia, and Vietnam. As soon as you set up a profile, you can give $25 to a cause, which is paid back in the span of 12–24 months. With the money back, you can choose to invest it in another loan for another cause on the website. There are also American causes you can give to. http://kiva.org
Global Giving — Set up almost like international GoFundMe fundraisers, this website allows you to search concepts you’re passionate about (human trafficking, refugees, education, etc.) and donate to a charity either one time or monthly. http://globalgiving.org
Charity Miles — If you run or walk a mile, a dollar is given to the charity of your choice. It’s not a lot, but it’s nice to know you’re doing some good while doing something you need to do. It also might give you some motivation to exercise.
Intsikelelo — If you’re unfamiliar with the adorable GoPro video of South African kids, please watch before reading this —https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4_2gbx2Kxg&t=167s . The charity offers a few different choices, including a children’s home for the impoverished, education mentorships, community projects, and care centers. Your money, your choice. You know the drill at this point. http://www.intsikelelo.org
