We get a lot of enquiries from students and although we would love to answer each enquiry personally we just don’t have the resources.

So the next best thing is a dedicated part of the site which hopes to answer most of the frequently asked questions.

If you have a question that isn’t answered here, try using the bulletin board to tap into the wider body of feminist knowledge that exists out there!

How many rapes?

Who are the rapists?

The law Home as a Haven?

Tell me more about the rape crisis movement.

Can I interview a victim?

Useful Reading List

How many rapes?

In 1999 the police recorded 7,707 incidents of rape.

However, it is widely accepted that police statistics represent just the tip of the iceberg because so few rapes are reported.

A good starting point for up to date, more realistic ‘official’ statistics, is the Home Office.

The most recent document is Home Office Research Study 237 ‘Rape and sexual assault of women: the extent and nature of the problem’

This document makes the point that measuring levels of sexual victimisation is difficult, that only a small number of women report to the police and even getting people to talk freely to interviewers can be difficult. There work is based on the results from the 1998 and 2000 British Crime Survey (BCS). Their work gives information on lifetime experiences of sexual violence:

• Around 1 in 10 women (9.7%) said they had experienced some form of sexual victimisation (including rape) since age 16.

• Around 1 in 20 women (4.9%) said they had been raped on at least one occasion since age 16.

• The BCS estimates that approximately three-quarters of a million women (754,000) have been raped on at least one occasion since age 16. This includes approximately 61,000 victimised in the last year.

• There are several methodological reasons why these figures are likely to be under-estimates of the true levels of sexual victimisation in England and Wales.

Who are the rapists?

Women are most likely to be sexually attacked by men they know in some way, most often partners (32%) or acquaintances (22%). ‘Current partners’ (at the time of the attack) were responsible for 45 per cent of rapes reported to the BCS. ‘Strangers’ were only responsible for 8 per cent of rapes.

These details confirm what feminist groups have known for a long time:

1 in 4 women suffer rape or attempted rape. Source: www.rapecrisis.co.uk

The most common rapists are current and ex-husbands or partners

1 in 7 married women said they had been forced to have sex compared to 1 in 3 divorced or separated women

91% of women told no one

97% of callers knew their assailant

Less than 7% had reported the assault to the police

The law

In early 1999 the Home Secretary announced a review of sex offences. The review was published as a consultation paper in July 2000 . It recommended new definitions of rape and sexual assault:

• rape be redefined to include penetration of the mouth, anus or female genitalia by a penis;

• a new offence of sexual assault by penetration to deal with all other forms of sexual penetration of the anus and genitalia (this should be equally as serious as rape and carry the same maximum sentence of life imprisonment);

• a new offence of sexual assault to replace other non-penetrative sexual touching now contained in the offence of indecent assault; and

• that consent should be more clearly defined.

These recommendations have now been carried forward into the Sexual Offences Bill and, if implemented, will make the laws governing sexual victimisation clearer and easier to apply.

Home as a haven?

There is a myth that the home is a safe place. But evidence from the 2000 BCS confirms that women are far more likely to be sexually victimised in their own home than any other location.

Nearly three-quarters (74%) of incidents involving partners occurred in the victim’s own home and a further 16 per cent occurred in the offender’s home. This is also the case in attacks by ex-partners.

There is no way of telling how many of the ex-partners were in the victim’s house without permission (possible stalking scenarios). Attacks by ‘dates’ occur in a variety of locations, but are most likely to occur in the home of the offender.

Tell me more about the rape crisis movement

The Rape Crisis Federation was launched in October 1996 and exists to provide a range of facilities and resources to enable the continuance and development of Rape Crisis Groups throughout Wales and England. What are its key aims?To raise the profile of the Rape Crisis Movement To act as a national voice for female survivors of sexual violence and abuse To represent the interests of Rape Crisis and Sexual Abuse services.

There are currently 45 groups affiliated to the Federation spread across England and Wales. RCF provides a networking service for these groups, it also offers accredited training on rape trauma counselling and it provides a whole host of information to member groups and other organisations who seek advice.

Most rape survivors will have a rape crisis centre in their area on which they can call. Some groups are local while other organisations operate nationally, they might work independently or be part of another service - for example counselling in Sexual Assault Referral Centres.

Services available can include telephone helplines, face to face counselling, and advocacy and/or chaperone services for victims reporting to the police or going to court.

But not every survivor will have a group close to them. And this is not necessarily only the case in rural areas. For example there are no centres in Leeds or Birmingham. It's a geographical lottery.The 45 groups that form the Federation receive over 80,000 calls a year. But there is a vast variation in the provision of service. The central office receives Home Office funding but individual services receive no statutory funding. Some areas operate only with trained volunteers. Some helplines are under-staffed so they cannot provide a round-the clock response. Some are open until 10 at night, others only in the day. But some women want immediate support - and may give up if they cannot get help soon after the rape.

Some local centres are better funded and are supported by their local authorities. But most struggle constantly with funding and a few have been forced to shut down altogether.

Can I interview a victim?

No, you probably cannot.

TAR cannot help you get access to interview survivors of rape.

Most rape crisis centres would also be reluctant to put you in touch with survivors of rape.

If you want to conduct research into rape you have to carefully consider the ethical issues involved in interviewing survivors of rape. It is a very sensitive area to research and we would suggest that you discuss this in detail with your supervisor.

Useful Reading List

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Anderson, J. (2001) The Date Rape Epidemic: Profitable Myth? http://www.spiritone.com/~law/epidemic.html

Basile, K. (1999) Rape by Acquiescence: The ways in which women "give in" to unwanted sex with their husbands. Violence Against Women, 5, 9: 1036-1058.

Berrington, E. and Jones, H. (2002) ‘Reality vs Myth: Constructions of Women’s Insecurity’ Feminist Media Studies Vol 2 No3.

Brownmiller, S. (1976) Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Budd, T. and Mattinson, J.  (2000) The extent and nature of stalking: findings from the 1998 British Crime Survey.Home Office Research Study 210, London: Home Office.

Burgess, A. and Holmstrom, L. (1974) Rape: Victims of Crisis. Baltimore: Bowie.

Campbell, R. and Johnson, C.R. (1997) ‘Police officers’ perceptions of rape: Is there inconsistency between state law and individual belief’. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 12, 255-274.

Cook, K. (1997) ‘Raging Against Rape’. Trouble and Strife, vol.35 Summer 1997.

Cook, K. "When is Rape a Real Crime?" New Law Journal, 10 Dec 1999, pp.1856 & 1871.

Culbertson, K. and Dehle, C. (2001) Impact of Sexual Assault as a Function of Perpetrator Type. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 16, 10: 992-1007.

Estrich, S. (1987) Real Rape. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.

Farrell, W. (1994) The Myth of Male Power. London: Fourth Estate.

Gregory, J. and Lees, S. (1999) Policing Sexual Assault. London: Routledge.

Hagemann-White, C. (2001) European Research on the Prevalence of Violence Against Women. Violence Against Women, 7, 7 :732-759.

Hall, R. (1985) Ask Any Woman: A London inquiry into rape and sexual assault. London: Falling Wall Press.

Hansard, (20 July 2000) House of Commons Written Answers. Number of rapes in 12 month period 1999-2000 – Column 326W.

Harris, J. and Grace, S. (1999) A Question of Evidence? Investigating and Prosecuting Rape in the 1990s. Home Office Research Study 196, London: Home Office.

Jones, H. (2003) Rape, Consent and Communication: Re-setting the boundaries? Contemporary Issues in Law, vol 6 Issue 1.

Jones, H. and Cook, K. (2008) Rape Crisis: Responding to Sexual Violence. Russell House.

Kelly, L. (1988) Surviving Sexual Violence. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Kelly, L. (1990) ‘Journeying in Reverse: Possibilities and Problems in Feminist Research on Sexual Violence’, in L. Gelsthorpe and A. Morris (eds.) Feminist Perspectives in Criminology. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.

Kelly, L. And Regan, L. (2001) Rape: The Forgotten Issue? A European research and networking project. London: Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit, University of North London.

Koss, M. (1993) Detecting the Scope of Rape – A Review of Prevalence Research Methods. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 8, 2: 198-222.

Koss, M. (2000) Acquaintance Rape: A Critical Update on Recent Findings with Application to Advocacy.

Lees, S. (2000) ‘Marital Rape and marital murder’, in J. Hanmer and C. Itzin (eds.), Home Truths About Domestic Violence: feminist influences on policy and practice, a reader. London: Routledge.

Painter, K. (1991) Wife Rape, Marriage and the Law – Survey Report: Key Findings and Recommendations. Manchester: Faculty of Economic and Social Studies, University of Manchester.

Painter, K. and Farrington, D. (1998) ‘Marital violence in Great Britain and its relationship to marital and non-marital rape’, International Review of Victimology, vol.5.

RCF (2001) Report 1999-2001. Nottingham: Rape Crisis Federation of Wales and England.

Setting the Boundaries: Reforming the law on sex offences. London: Home Office, July 2000.

Soothill, K. and Walby, S. (1991) Sex Crime in the News. London: Routledge.

Stewart, M.W., Dobbin, S. and Gatowski, S. (1996) ‘‘Real rapes’ and ‘real victims’: the shared reliance on common cultural definitions of rape’, Feminist Legal Studies, 4, 159.

Temkin, J. (1986) ‘Women, rape and law reform’, in S. Tomaselli and R. Porter, Rape: An historical and cultural enquiry. Oxford: Blackwell.

Temkin, J. (1987) Rape and the Legal Process. London: Sweet and Maxwell.

Temkin, J. (1997) ‘Plus ca change: reporting rape in the 1990s’, British Journal of Criminology, 37, 507.

Temkin, J. (2000) ‘Prosecuting and Defending Rape: Perspectives From the Bar’, Journal of Law and Society, vol. 4, no.2 pp219-48.

Walby, S. and Myhill, A. (2001) New Survey Methodologies in Researching Violence Against Women. British Journal of Criminology, 41:502-522.

Requests for Home Office Publications

These can be obtained from:

Home Office
Research, Development and Statistics Directorate
Communication Development Unit
Room 275, Home Office
50 Queen Anne’s Gate
London SW1H 9AT

RDS website at:

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/index.html