Document 89: "Rape," in Susanna Downie, Decade of Achievement: 1977-1987: A Report on a Survey Based on the National Plan of Action for Women (Washington, D.C.: National Women's Conference Committee, 1988), pp. 60-61.
p. 60
RAPE
NATIONAL PLAN GOALS
•revision of criminal codes to include all types of sexual assault and both sexes as victims or perpetrators •past sexual conduct of victim should not be allowable as evidence •no more corroboration should be required than for any other kind of violent assault •establishment of rape crisis centers •confidentiality of rape crisis center records should be assured •bilingual and bicultural information resources where appropriate •public school programs on rape-prevention and self-defense •permanent funding for the National Center for the Prevention and Control of Rape (within NIMH) •victim compensation
Rape directly impacts 2,502,000 women every year in the United States. Millions of other women are -- each year -- coping with childhood sexual abuse, prior rapes, sexual harrassment, indecent assault and other forms of sexual assault. The anti-rape movement is not yet twenty years old. In 1977, the national rape crisis network did not yet exist. Reliable summary data on the changes in the last ten years and the situation overall is not easily available. But here is what I could find on: legislative changes, sexual assault programs, federal funding for rape crisis centers (rccs), and suggested future directions.
One new element in the picture, which has emerged since 1977, is the recognition of the pervasiveness of "date rape" and incest. We suspect now that 1 in 5 college age women will be raped by a date, that 1 in 3 women are sexually abused before age 18, and that a married woman has a 1 in 7 chance of being raped by her husband. Demands for services have increased significantly and many rccs now provide services to as many child victims as they do for adults. 85-90% of child sexual assault is by someone known to the child.
LEGISLATIVE CHANGE:
In 1977, no state permitted a wife to file a rape charge against her husband. In 1980, in a landmark case in Oregon, a wife brought charges against her husband, and precipitated a review of criminal codes across the country. As of 1987, 25 states have removed interspousal tort immunity or made spousal rape or abuse a specific but separate crime, in many cases with a statute of limitations shorter than that for non-marital rape.
In 1982, Pennsylvania passed the first statute protecting the confidentiality of rape crisis counselor's records. 18 states have since passed similar legislation though confidentiality statutes are still being challenged in the courts as unconstitutional.
In 1977, admissibility of victim's sexual history as evidence in a rape trial was limited only in North Dakota. As of 1980 (the most recent data available) 30 states and the District of Columbia disallow such evidence. The other 20 states allow such evidence under various circumstances.
RAPE CRISIS CENTERS AND OTHER SEXUAL ASSAULT SERVICES
The first rape crisis center was established in 1969 in Berkeley CA. By 1974, there were 61 rccs in 27 states. In 1979, there were over 900 community based rape-related services, not all of them centers. As of 1987, there are thousands of programs providing services to sexual assault survivors and/or conducting public education and prevention programs. There are programs in every state, D.C., and all major cities.
The size and scope of these programs varies greatly. Some have only one or two staff people, while several large centers (Rhode Island, Austin TX, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh PA) employ 20-30 people and utilize more than a hundred volunteers. An eight-state study in 1985 found that the average number of workers was 4-5 paid staff and 20-30 volunteers. Most centers provide not only services to victims, but also prevention education in the public schools, awareness training for police and emergency personnel, and programs for teachers and mental health professionals, as well as working for legislative change and serving on community task forces. However, many of the newer programs, which are specifically designed for children, have emerged in response to the increased availability of funding, and do not have a feminist perspective. Therefore their prevention work is not grounded in an analysis of power relationships and politics of sexual assault.
No comprehensive data are available on how many rccs provide bi-lingual services in areas populated by non-English speaking people, nor is there good data on how many clients are served by rccs.
FEDERAL FUNDING;
The National Center for the Prevention and Control of Rape
(NCPCR) was housed within NIMH. In 1985, NCPCR was eliminated, and "Rape" was
moved into the Division of Violent and anti-Social Behavior and re-titled The
Family Violence and Sexual Assoult Center. This represents a dilution
p. 61
THE NATIONAL COALITION
The National Coalition Against Sexual Assault (NCASA) was founded in 1978 and serves as a network for rccs nationwide. NCASA receives no federal funding. Membership dues and annual conferences fund the organization and all positions are unpaid. Federal money is increasingly available to rccs themselves, however. Some of this came in 1980, through Title XX, and additional funds came in 1981-2 through the Preventive Health Block Grant monies. This source is still a significant portion of the funding for many centers across the country. More recently. Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds have been distributed. According to the Dept. of Justice, a total of $9,884,313 went to 465 sexual assault programs in 1986 (nearly 25% of 1986 funds disbursed.) But states have control over allocations, and some states receiving VOCA funds have made no VOCA money available to rape crisis programs.
FUTURE DIRECTIONS:
We must continue to emphasize the need not only for more prevention programs but also that these programs be grounded in a feminist analysis of sexual violence. Prevention must focus on attitudinal change regarding men, women, power, intimacy, dependency, sexuality, and vulnerability.
We also need better tracking of information on rape-related legislation and services, so that we can more accurately educate the public about the magnitude of the problem and more effectively generate funds for programs.
Another critical need is for the creation of feminist-based offender treatment programs, which would involve the re-working of power and control issues, and provide long-term treatment and therapy. Funding needs to be made available for long-term treatment and sentencing must demand lengthy participation by convicted rapists and molesters.
And we must prevent the co-optation of expertise in the area of sexual assault, keeping the anti-sexual assault movement grounded in the authority of survivor's voices, in the experience of rape crisis workers and in the theoretical framework of feminsm. This has always been a struggle, but we are now at a place where the pervasiveness of sexual assault is finally becoming common knowledge, and more involvement by the traditional medical/therapeutic/educational community is inevitable. But without an awareness of the power dynamics within the helping relationship, the traditional treatment approaches tend to perpetuate the rape, adding all the "little rapes" feminists identified and have worked a long time to eliminate from the treatment of rape survivors.
So the work of educating the legal, medical, and law enforcement communities is more important than ever, as is the need to keep rape crisis work grounded in our history, our feminism, and the knowledge that comes from the voices of rape and incest survivors.
- Robin Connors, Counseling
Coordinator at Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, with help from: Mary Beth Carter, Judy Condo, and Fern Ferguson (NCASA), Michelle Branch-Dorsey (National Criminal Justice Reference Service), Scott Beard (National Org. for Victim Assistance), and Sue Cameron, Cheryl Hall, Bev Harris-Elliot, Barb Nissley, and Georgeanne Zogas (PA Coalition Against Rape.)
RESOURCES:
ORGANIZATIONS:
NATIONAL COALITION AGAINST SEXUAL ASSAULT, Sexual Violence Center, 1222 W. 31st St., Minneapolis, MN 55408. (612) 824-2854. Contact person: Nancy Biele (Pres. of Board)
NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR VICTIM ASSISTANCE, 717 D St. NW, Washington DC 20004, (202) 393-6682. Contact persons: Kathy Adams-House (program issues), Scott Beard (legislative issues).
PUBLICATIONS:
A Sourcebook on Chld Sexual Abuse, D. Finkelhor, Sage Publications, 1986.
Exemplary Rape Crisis Programs: A Cross-Site Analysis and Case Studies, M. Harvey, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Washington DC 1985.
Sexual Exploitation: Rape, Child Sexual Abuse, & Sexual Harrassment, D.E.H. Russell, Sage Publications, Beverley Hills, 1984.
Stopping Sexual Assault in Marriage: A Guide for Women, Counselors, & Advocates., S. Wunsch, Center for Constitutional Rights, New York, 1986.
 |
 |
 |
| Previous Document |
Document List |
Next Document |