So in the wake of a massive public spotlight on rape, the priority apparently is to protect the reputations of the tiny % of men falsely accused of rape

What gets me is that people are so keen to believe rape myths; women lie, most allegations are false, it's only rape if it's a stranger down a dark alley etc. etc. etc. They just absorb them and repeat them without ever stopping to think. And yet most of those people would be outraged by a sex crime against a child. Do they think there's some magic switch thrown when a girl reaches 16 that means sex crime against her doesn't count any more? Or that turns her into someone who is really keen to make a false complaint, really keen to go through intrusive and distressing investigations and court procedures?

Mind you, I suppose lots of people are keen to believe all kinds of bollocks. Difference is when it's urban myths or stories about how words are derived or the mad idea that thousands of people involved in the moon landings all agreed to engage in a massive conspiracy, it's fairly harmless.

EXACTLY.

I wonder if I can repost that link on facebook. It might be a good way to cull a lot of the dickheads...

www.independent.co.uk/voices/comment/rape-anonymity-and-the-myth-of-false-accusations-8117582.html

www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2013/jan/08/truth-about-false-accusation-of-rape-visualised#zoomed-picture

click on graphic for full picture

And what gets me is, even if it was a stranger rape, there is physical evidence, be it semen, bite marks, scratches, tears, bruising etc, it is still, in 2013, allowed for the opposing counsel to say "well she was wearing a short skirt, so what could she expect?" "well, she has previously had one night stands, so whos to say she didn't ask for it?" "well she works in a bar, got divorced, had an affair, put red lipstick on..."

It's sickening.

And people still accept that.

The older I get, the more I am sickened by the people of this world.

That's what I thought Twll. It all comes from the same place. A woman is not considered a credible witness and the man is (despite there being way in excess more evidence that they are far more likely to be lying.)

Sorry sausage, I read your original post as you saying that of the rapes unreported, some don't report because she is worried about being accused of making it up, while others don't report because she is worried there isn't enough evidence...therefore it looking like she is making it up, IYSWIM.

Being accused of making a false allegation and not having enough evidence for the CPS to prosecute is not the same thing, no

blueberry that term has been used several times on this thread so didn't realise it was an issue -no offence meant

With specific reference to rape, a small proportion are not reported as the victim is aware she may well be accused of crying rape.
I larger portion, IMO, is because so often rape happens within a relationship -where is the proof that that rape ever took place? There is no way they would prosecute on that basis so why put yourself through it?

Isn't that basically the same thing though?

I can't recall the statistics, but I'm pretty certain that the vast majority of women are raped by men they know. What is the difference between nto reporting rape because they have no proof and not reporting rape because they think they will be accused of "crying rape"? They are basically the same thing.

blueberry yes I do think people's identity should be protected prior to trial for all crimes

How can anyone possibly have a fair trial when in big cases their names are plastered all over the media?

With specific reference to rape, a small proportion are not reported as the victim is aware she may well be accused of crying rape.
I larger portion, IMO, is because so often rape happens within a relationship -where is the proof that that rape ever took place? There is no way they would prosecute on that basis so why put yourself through it?

I'm certainly not saying that is right but it would certainly account for a large number of unreported cases

Too right Fastidia . I actually did give up saying anything after a while because my friends would always complain about it and I thought for a while that maybe it wasn't a big deal.

Gone back to my old ways now, though. Last time I went out with my partner, some knob grabbed my arse. I turned round and shouted at him. He turned to my partner and said something about keeping me under control, my partner just laughed in his face and told him not to be a dick.

What kind of fucking shit thing is that to say? Keep me under control?

It does annoy me that otherwise reasonable human beings throw the "but what about all the false accusations????" Thing in to a discussion. They often have no idea of the statistics that OP has stated and they just use it because, when a woman is proved to be lying, it is splashed all over the media, giving it a much higher weighting than it should have if you actually look at the statistics.

Basically, the statistics boil down to this. 100 women in a room. 25 of them have been sexually abused and/or raped. If we use 5% as our 2-6% of false accusations, 1 and a quarter of those women are lying. Less than that if you consider what OP said about half of those not naming or mistaking the identity of their rapist.

But then, as a crime, rape isn't taken seriously. Women are not allowed to feel like they have ownership of their bodies without being called lesbians or frigid. Go to any night club and look around - females are expected to expect and allow any random person coming up and running thir hands over their bodies, grabbing their bums and breasts. Actually, this is a form of sexual assault - but no one says it because its all just a bit of fun.

She. I am a woman.

I have, thankfully, never been raped. I have been sexually assaulted more times than I can count and always been told to STFU about it. When I was younger and going out a lot, I'd be groped every single time and when I went to complain to security or screamed at the guy who'd done it, my friends would always drag me away, tell me to calm down, tell me it was no big deal.

This is the culture we are living in, where a man can grab your arse if he wants to and you just have to put up with it, or even be flattered by it.

I don't mean that in a conspiracy sort of way I mean in a way of creating an obstacle to the real issue

Exactly, fastidia

The amount of attention it gets is disproportionate to its incidence.

It is a smoke screen.

Women are (rightly) jailed for making false accusations of rape. However some of these cases have raised concern that some have been jailed wrongfully. Where is the outcry about this?
Imagine coming forward with an allegation and all this entails only for the law to turn against you!

SigmundFraude wrote - "Why don't you, just for once, discuss the women who falsely report rape?"

Do you want us to discuss only the women who make false accusations of rape, or also the men who make false accusations of rape?