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Breaking the Silence
A 2003 study by the New York City Alliance against Sexual Assault showed that rape crimes had increased by nearly ten percent over the past year. ... This number represented an increase in rape reports rather than an actual rise in the number of crimes in New York City. This increase in numbers suggests that there have been huge improvements made in the services for rape victims, and an increase in awareness about what constitutes a rape. ...
In the past, some of the main reasons why rape crimes went silenced was because the victim feared nothing would be done, that they would not be believed, or that it was too personal a crime (Raine, Nancy Venable, After Silence). However, now that attempts have been made by officials, victims are starting to realize that reports of rape will be taken seriously. ... Linda Ledray, director of the sexual assault Resource Service in Minneapolis, said that “cities with specialized programs to address the needs of rape victims generally report a higher number of rape cases and convictions than cities without such services. ... For example, now when a rape is reported by a female victim, a female officer is almost always put in charge of the questioning since most victims find it easier to talk to other women about sexual assaults. In addition, the police department’s special victims unit receives hundreds of hours of training on how to interview victims to verify whether a rape has actually occurred. Officials and Prosecutors have also teamed up with specially trained Nurse Examiners, and rape crisis advocacy members to combine the treatment of the victim and the prosecution into one less complex process. ... Many people are confused and even intimidated by the many different definitions and categories of rape. ... Whether the standards are changing across America, more people are coming forward, or there is just more rape it is hard to tell.
Approximate Word count = 1544
Approximate Pages = 6.2
(250 words per page double spaced)
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