Myths of Sexual Violence

Myths of Sexual Violence
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Sexual assault is a peril that occurs more often than most people would care to admit. According to the Rape Abuse and Incest Network (n.d), in every 98 seconds that pass, at least one individual is a victim of sexual assault in the US only. Startlingly, in an eight-minute interval, that victim is someone’s child who will probably not find justice as only six in a thousand perpetrators are likely to go to jail. Among the reasons why cases of sexual assault remain prevalent are the myths and misconceptions surrounding the issue. This study shall, therefore, assess multiple myths surrounding sexual assault, in a bid to establish the cause of their prevalence and possible impacts.
According to Vandiver et al. (2016), the greatest of all myths lies on the assumption that all sex offenders are the same. Society stereotypes certain individuals as potential threats while others are gain ‘full immunity.’ Studies indicate that most people may consider an unemployed person more likely to be a potential sex offender as compared to an employed person. Stakes are even lower when the employed person is wealthy as they are deemed more gentlemanly or noble. Such stereotypic perceptions, therefore, cripple the detection of sexual assault perpetrated by such people and make it even more difficult to prosecute them should they be discovered (Vandiver et al., 2016).
There also exists a number of myths surrounding the reasons why people commit sexual assault.

According to Vandiver et al. (2016), most people assume that a perpetrator of sexual assault has to be mentally ill to commit the act while others assume that they have uncontrollable sexual urges. Research, however, indicates that sexual assault is not only linked to mental illness but on multiple other variables whose scope are not fully explored. Studies further deduce that offenders are normally patient individuals who carefully chose their victims, observe them and then position themselves strategically to carry out the act. In concision, there lacks a stable theory that can fully explain all possible causes of sexual assault.
Vandiver et al. (2016) also categorize myths on a situational basis. According to the authors, most myths imply that sexual assault tends to occur under specific circumstances. For instance, most people assume that sexual assault occurs in unsupervised locations and by people unknown to the victim. According to Vandiver et al. (2016), however, most incidents of sexual abuse are done in locations known to the victim and by people close to them such as family members, clergy persons, relatives, lovers and even teachers. Owed to the high level of trust accredited to such individuals, it would be difficult for a victim to even gather the courage and report the issue, increasing the chances of continuity of the abuse.
Should the victim report, the level of trust and respect accorded to the perpetrators close to them usually prompts the development of other myths such as, “it was the victim’s fault”, it was consensual or that the victim is lying. In the case of Talia Johnson, for instance, she was sexually assaulted by a victim with whom they had had a nice time clubbing before she blacked out from drunkenness (Plummer et al., 2014). Most people would, therefore, ask why she allowed herself to party with a stranger and even drink herself to the point of blacking out, knowing full well the possible consequences.
Finally, there also exists myths as to how offenders should be treated. According to Vandiver et al. (2016), most people believe that a sex offender cannot be rehabilitated since there is no treatment effective enough to change their habits. This, therefore, instigates the stigmatization and discrimination against reformed convicts. Studies, however, document that a large number of sexual assault convicts do not repeat the crime after completing their prison sentence and that their rehabilitation results in declined recidivism rates (Vandiver et al., 2016).
References
Plummer, S., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (2014). SESSIONS Case Histories. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/SOCW/MSWP/CH/mm/homepage/doc/msw_case_histories.pdf
Rape Abuse and Incest Network. (n.d.). Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.rainn.org/statistics
Vandiver, D., Braithwaite, J., & Stafford, M. (2016). Sex crimes and sex offenders: Research and realities. Routledge.