As astonishing as the title of this post is, the blog it came from, The False Rape Society is even worse. I was seriously hoping it was some kind of parody when I stumbled across it, but sadly it appears to be for real. Two depressing highlights: the reader comments in the right-hand column, and the claim that somewhere between 9 and 50% of all reported rapes are false claims. I used to tutor statistics, and I don't remember that as being an appropriate range for any statistic. And the author refers to his "objectively verifiable data" but never links to a source or names a resource that we could actually verify. How verifiable is that?
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I am doing some grant work on sexual assaults reported to police in my city right now. The data has been collected, and right now I am cleaning it up. I read about 1450 sexual assault dyads while doing this research.
So let my try and explain where the dude gets his stats spread...
Cases can be closed 'lack of evidence', 'unprovable', 'declined prosecution', 'unfounded', et cetera.
I am betting the guy is lumping everything with any ambiguity into the 'unfounded' category.
Preliminary stats on the data I have is police found 8.5% reported sexual assaults as unfounded (that number is going to increase once reports missing closure status are not included in calculations).
My subjective reading of the cases is that police officers are slightly biased to saying something is unfounded. An unfounded case is closed, an unprovable case is suspended.
Stupid me for not previewing. Only "slightly" was suppose to be bolded.
Yeah, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if 50% of the cases were not provable, given the number of rape kits that go untested. That seems perfectly reasonable. But calling these unfounded is really assholish and sexist.
About the word "unfounded"
Say a 16 year old is impregnated/having by her 17 y/o boyfriend. In most states that is not a crime. If the mother/father didn't know about or approve of the b/f they report that to the police.
No crime was committed, the police close the case unfounded.
Or the victim completely recants (and the police believe the victim, otherwise they could mark it 'uncooperative victim'
The terms are a little blunt, but there has to be some term for it.
Right, but I was referring to the fact that the author of this blog lumps all of these cases together.
He should look at all the real rape cases that go unreported.
The 9 to 50% is probably an average between several studies, not the range of one.
Which means there isn't much reliability in measuring the variable.
I wonder if I'm ever going to be able to read things like that website without seeing red. Literally.
And surprise, surprise, he links to Glenn Sacks.
I knew a person who literally saw red...
He beat someone to death.
I have found some good statistics regarding sexual assault on the following site:
http://www2.ucsc.edu/rape-prevention/statistics.html
and for domestic violence:
http://www.abanet.org/domviol/statistics.html
I think the best way to refute these types of comments, is to simply site the facts from government sources such as the department of justice and the FBI. There's not much these women hating asshats can do to refute that. I think you could probably find a statistic on one of those site to refute the "false rape claim" these people make. In my experience, they tend to draw their "statistics" from site like Glenn Sacks, and other right-wing women hating sources.
Hmm... your second link seems to have some solid data, but the UCSC link is not a credible page. There are no link backs to original articles and the statements are pretty one-sided. This site claims that "at least I women in 3 has been beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused," meaning that in your neighborhood one of every three women you find will have been abused. I find that to be highly dubious.
I've heard that statistic often, actually--I'll admit I don't know where it comes from, but with the way this stuff is normalized and shoved under the table, I wouldn't be surprised if it's true.
Ah--a google search reveals that it seems to be from a UN study, which would make it 1 in 3 around the world ( http://www.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htm). But the Dept of Justice (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/topics/crime/violence-against-women/selected-results.htm) cites that 22% of women have been "physically assaulted" (don't know if that includes rape) just by a spouse, partner, or date...so at least 1 in every 4 or 5 women in the US has been assaulted.
In fact, Xulin, in my own neighborhood, I wouldn't be at all dubious to say that every third woman I see has been abused at some point in her life.
Oh, I forgot to say this one thing...I also read somewhere - I forget where I read this stat...that "false claims" for rape cases were the same as "false claims" for other types of crimes like robbery, assault (non-sexual), theft, etc....I'm not sure where I read that, but probably if you do a google search - you might be able to find it. I think Steven is right about how these rape apologists are most likely putting "unfounded" claims in with "false claims". They are also probably including in this "false claim" statistic women who were in fact raped but for personal reasons, or whatever reason do not prosecute (which is quite common considering all the additional re-traumatization and horrible treatment that rape victims are subject to during rape trials).
God these people make me so mad - both my partner and I are survivors - and for us it's the most infuriating thing that these types of people even exist - I'm sorry to say that about human lives - but I seriously think the world would be a whole lot better without the presence of rapists and rape apologizes. Sorry if that sounds horrible, but that's just my feeling.
I bet that somewhere between 0% and 100% are false claims.
I have linked to this site (against my better judgement) and found that they feel "Feminist hate site links to us, denigrates the falsely accused" good to know you made such an impression Rachel!
Now don't get me wrong - I am sure false accusations are made, it is a statistical impossiblilty that they wouldn't be, and I do have sympathy for a man who finds himself being questioned for something he ABSOLUTELY did not do (some may feel that what they did wasn't rape when in fact it was, and I have no sympathy for them)- but no more so than any other type of crime.
The site then goes on to say -
"Even though we're not going to open that young woman's closed mind -- I shudder to think what we'd find if we did -- a brief word about stats is in order."
Shudder to think? What could a woman, empathising with other young women and pointing out a site that may be of interest to like minded people, who queries the statistics put forwarded on that site, POSSIBLY have going on in her mind that could make you shudder? The mind boggles.
But I digress... (and could many times over after reading that piece) The point being is that morally, for me, the rights of a woman who is violated outweigh the rights of a man who is falsely accused. I say this for a number of reasons, not one of them being because I am a man hater!
First I feel the physical and emotional scars of rape and sexual assault outweigh and outlast those of a false accusation. I cannot catagorically state that, it is just my feeling.
Secondly the judicial system is (although massively imperfect) designed and intended to give a fair trial. A woman who was raped had no such protection.
Thirdly, and finally women are afraid to come forward when they have been raped, and once they have it doesn't get any easier.
Perhaps slightly unpopular but it is my gut instinct in this case - the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few
The cute little ad hominems he uses are pretty humorous as well. I read through several pages of his posts and never found a single reference to any "objectively verifiable data." He does link to a book that tells the story of the Duke LaCrosse team. Apparently for him the narrative of one scenario amounts to "objectively verifiable data." I guess they just defined things differently where I got my education.
But I'm sure he must be right. If you're a rape apologist, anecdotes and emotional narratives can be extrapolated to make generalized statistical claims, but the rest of us have to use statistics responsibly. And that restriction seems appropriate given my total lack of intelligence (PhD and perfect SAT score notwithstanding). My genitalia alone make me answerable to a completely different standard...
Oh, and inside my tightly closed mind? Lions and tigers and bears! (Is it just me, or does this guy seem a bit hormonal?)
Hormonal and bitchy and scared? Oh My!
The site just didn't read like a support for men who have been falsely accused to me - it read like an apologists note book, and had a very definate women are evil slant to it.
It was devoid of "we share your pain, we get your anger, here - talk out your feelings" and full of "woman admits to lying about rape!", "mainly all rape allegations are based on crap" and "why are so many women ruining our lives?"
Merciful Zeus!!
Oh, I've no doubt he "shudders" at the thought of looking in a woman's mind--because he'd find thoughts and emotions and intelligence that flies in the face of his rape-apologist belief that women are all just flesh-and-blood fuck toys for men's amusement. He "shudders" because he'd then be faced with her HUMANITY. Just like cockroaches in the dark panic and scatter the moment someone flicks on a light.
I wanted to smack the blog author when I read his January 5, 2009 post "Woman lies that she was raped at a part" - and below it he starts with "Another one."
And the comments are rich. Wolfboy69 is my favorite. Really? Wolf. Boy. 69? Seriously?
Clearly an openminded, brilliant person. Unlike the commenters on the blog ... (/sarcasm)
I agree - It's like many of those commenters heaved a mass sigh of "FINALLY - Somewhere I can let my frustration out against women! Especially the ones who get pissed as a fart, pass out and then complain when they wake up with me on top of them!"
The whole site doesn't seem legit! Also there is a link on it to some particularly anti-feminist blog if I am not mistaken... Proof if proof were needed, this is NOT a good place.
Personally I don't care what the percentage of false accusations of rape (or any crime, for that matter) are. But if only one person -- whether male or female -- is falsely accused, a problem exists.
Of course false accusation - for any crime - is a problem. I don't think anyone would contest that. However especially in the case of rape there is no arguing that it is a problem on the same scale as the problem of genuine rape cases failing to be prosecuted. Very few cases are actually brought to trial. Even fewer find the defendent guilty. Studies have shown that this is more prevelant in the case of rape than in any other crime. Can we agree that the nature of rape (in many genuine cases there is no physical evidence), combined with the reluctance of society to find someone guilty of such a loaded crime, means that rapists are frequently able to evade prosecution? This is the problem I find most disturbing. I don't know what the solution is, but I wish we had a louder outcry over it.
(sorry if this shows up twice - I was having trouble posting it!)
It's still mind-boggling to me that so many rape kits go untested, and when Congress gives more money to the states to test them, they often spend it on other things. Amazing and depressing.
Sure, but don't you see a problem with the tone of this blog?
Things like this anger me so much. I have been raped. I believed the general attitude of society, which is that treatment of rape victims by police is peachy keen these days. I have never made a harder decision than to report the crime that was committed against me. You feel vulnerable already and it is a difficult step to take.
Frankly - I think the police in my city must have been reading a blog like this one. I was raped on a Thursday evening and my case was not assigned to a detective until the following Monday. The detective assigned to my case only had a week left, because he was being transferred as a result of the high number of complaints that had been recieved regarding this fellow attacking victims. The detective spent a long period of time trying to bully me into speaking with him without an advocate. At the end of the report he asked me if I was lying. When I made a complaint to the director of the department, she had me come in and speak with her. She asked the advocate to leave and this time I complied in a desire to cooperate - as a victim you are not TRYING to be difficult. Then SHE asked me if I was lying. She proceeded to tell me that the department didn't have the resources to pursue the case. They would eventually test the rape kit and the attorney might pursue the case if DNA of an already identified sexual offender was found, but otherwise she considered it closed. She never assigned a new detective to the case and refused to return any of my calls until I faxed a message to the main office detailing the number of times I had called and left messages and requesting a response.
It was hell. I can't imagine why a women would endure that process if she had not actually suffered an ugly crime. I know it happens on rare occasion, but I can't see it becoming a trend any time soon. I too have seen the statistics that say it happens at the same rate as false accusations of other crimes. Maybe, but I find that hard to believe. Saying you have been raped simply has negative connotations that being robbed does not.
I read in my human sexuality textbook it was less than 2%, and that's lower than all other false report rates for other crimes.
Not to scare anyone, but I used to belong to an American Psychological Association division in which several members believed that most rape allegations are false, and spread their belief around the professional listserv.
Know what's even scarier? Some of the links off the falserapeaccusation site. Like this one:
http://foreignwomenonly.blogspot.com/
This has got to be a joke, right? It's sometimes hard to believe this much hate exists in the world for an entire half of humanity.
Somewhat OT, but -- I have a hard time wrapping my mind around the psychology of these guys, considering that they must actually be having sex with women in order for this to be such a personal fear for them. I mean this purely as curiosity on my part -- psychologically, how do they do it? Is it actually terrifying? Are they scared the whole time that somehow their innocent and well-intended desires are going to be used against them to throw them in jail, by the woman they are having sex with, who is secretly an evil succubus? I just can't figure it out. Why would anyone even want to do that?
Danielle: "I read in my human sexuality textbook it was less than 2%, and that's lower than all other false report rates for other crimes."
That tells you why I blog. That is completely erroneious. Two words for you, Danielle: Eugene Kanin. His is the only serious study of this ever conducted and he found 41% of the rape claims in his nine year study to be false. Not just "unfounded." False.
I suppose by "serious" you mean "finds results that fit my view"? That would explain why all the other researchers are wrong.
Women must be mysterious, horrible, vindictive creatures in your worldview, and that is sad and unfortunate.
I agree entirely. Danielle merely referenced something with no inherent bias (a textbook. one of THE most misleading kinds of literature a person can read. Which is why they use them as teaching aids. NOW I get it!) Evidently Pierce found some statistics that backed his belief that most women will lie, therefore most women will lie about rape... And ran with it. In truth statistics can never explain the psychology, why ANYONE would ever lie about something so personal, intrusive, and given the general populations feelings, embarrasing and stigmatised cannot be explained by thoses figures. In the end, people wouldnt lie about that en masse... Not on the level he is quoting, I just dont feel the psychology is there let alone anything else.