Rape
It is impossible to know the exact number of rapes occurring annually, since many are not reported. Studies of rape victims conclude pregnancy results in less than one percent of rapes.
Rape and statutory rape are defined as follows:
Rape
is sexual activity that is carried out by force or threat of force against another person’s will. Sex is not consensual if a person cannot reasonably choose to consent or refuse because of age, circumstances, level of understanding, or a dependency relationship to the offender.
Statutory Rape
occurs when a person below a certain age consents to having sex with someone several years older. Even though the underage person’s acts are voluntary, this situation is deemed by the law to constitute rape because the law presumes that children under a certain age are incapable of giving consent. Laws regarding statutory rape differ from state to state based on minimum age of consent and the number of years of age difference between partners.
Erroneous ideas regarding rape are pervasive in our culture. Although rape can happen to anyone, most are carried out by a male against a female. Perhaps the cruelest misconceptions concern the woman’s role in the rape.
Blame is often placed on a woman for being careless and therefore, inviting it to happen. If she is in the wrong place at the wrong time, especially at night or when she was expected to be elsewhere, she is still not responsible for the actions of the rapist. Some assume that a woman’s dress, manner of communication, or attitude may invite the wrong attention, and that she deserves to be raped or may even signal that she wants to be raped. These unfortunate ideas further torment a traumatized woman.
It's Violence
Rape is a violent crime and it has much more to do with aggression than sex. It cruelly displays the need to dominate, control, or humiliate the victim. Rape is often planned, and the rapist may select a victim for a variety of reasons that seem completely unrelated to sexual desire. Women of any situation or age are raped, including the very young and the very old. Rapists come in all shapes, sizes, and types. There is no universal description or identifying mark that will easily warn of impending rape.
People understandably respond with revulsion and hatred toward sexual offenders and wrongfully assume that evil will be passed directly to the child in some grotesque way. It is easy to ignore the fact that this is also the child of the violated woman. The victim of rape has been shaken to the very core of her being. Her thinking has been altered, and she may struggle to trust God. It is important that she be reminded that God is aware of her distress; He loves her and her baby; and He wants to bring good out of this evil event.