If you were raped would you report it?

before reading this trhead i would have said yes, absoloutely. but afetr reading the fears of otehrs i have to say, i would think twice. not sure now. i think i would inform some people who know some people of what sort of a scumbag is in town.

I don't regret not reporting my date-rapist

I think my life might be infinitely worse now, if I had

Depends on the circumstances.

A violent attack by a stranger, yes. Anything less and I guess it would depend on how raped I felt.

I had a boyfriend who, on several occasions, refused to accept when I declined to have sex with him - I suppose technically thats rape and I could have reported it but I didn't feel especially traumatised by it, just thought he was a twat. Don't regret not reporting it.

Unlikely.

See, that's what I thought fluffles. She was really badly beaten. Surely they can't argue that that was in some way consensual? I don't get it.

HB, you just need to "know" somebody who "knows" somebody else, IYSWIM

I am not a violent person, but sometimes it is all men like this really understand

fluffles, rapists have claimed that women have liked rough sex and juries have bent over backwards to believe them, in the face of evidence where bruises and cuts were there.

Juries will do anything not to have to convict a rapist in a suit.

but how would they prove you made it up?

them not getting charged is not proof that it was made up.

are there cases where this has happened?

No, no point.

If they murdered me though they might be prosecuted for that... as long as my skirt wasn't too short.

i don't know.. if was rape by coersion then i'm not sure.

but i've always said i'd prefer to be beaten than to be raped by coersion as i think that rape by coersion/intimidation is the worst crime (and i'm a martial arts instructor so not unused to being punched).

what suzikettles says is scary as i'd hope that at very least an attacker could be done for the assault if not the actual rape - men can argue till they're blue in the face that the sex was consensual but surely a severe beating never can be?

yes.

so tell me more.

if you report a rape and it goes to court but they aren't convicted YOU could then be charged with making it up?

but wouldn't they need to prove you made it up?

not convicting someone of rape merely means they can't prove it, not that it iddn't happen surely?

I don't know.

Last year someone dh knows was raped by a man who stayed over at her flat after a drunken night out because he said he'd missed his last train home. He violently raped and sexually assaulted her and beat her to a bloody pulp. The case has just been dropped.

So, I don't know. Because that seemed open and shut to me, so...

"sadly men know that so few women have confidence in the justice system that they know they can get away with it."

Going go have to pull you up on that. At least change it to "sadly Rapists know". Contrary to popular belief not ALL men are rapists.

AF do tell.

I really am beginning to think that vigilante justice is the only option open to rape victims. With a 6% conviction rate for reported rapes, knowing that most rape is not reported, and the threat that we will be sent to prison for wasting police time or making false allegations if we can't get a conviction, the law is failing us. So the only options we are left with, are either to accept that it's more or less legal for men to rape us as long as they don't beat us up too badly at the same time, or try and find justice outside of the law. I would want justice.

I think it's very difficult to answer until you have been in the situation, especially if you know or have had some kind of relationship with the person.

I would report for dna evidence etc but push for court and a denial (in all likelyhood) of justice
probably not

actually, this is quite scary isn't it? that so many peopoe wouldn't?

i can totally udnerstand all the reasons for not wanting to, and it has made me really wonder about my previous response.... but it' wrong isn't it? that we should not report things like this? or rather, that we should feel that we can't

If it happened today in this country, yes I would report it.

Would I follow through with the court case, etc? I don't know.

um yes, my immediate resposnse is yes, of course i would

but i've never been in a situation even remotely like that so i guess it's kind of hard to say

HB, TCF, so would I...it is very easy to arrange