Topic > Creating a Recovery Program for Sexual Assault Victims

Index IntroductionLiterature ReviewExisting Victim Recovery ProgramsProposed Recovery ProgramConclusionReferencesIntroductionIn essence, rape is when an individual is forced to take part in a sexual act without their consent. Includes penetrating or touching a victim's vagina, anus, or mouth; touching the victim's penis; or forcing a victim to penetrate or touch the offender's vagina, anus, or penis. The act of touching can involve using a penis, a hand, a mouth, a finger, or anything else, as objects (Temkin, 2002). In essence, there are many negative and life-changing effects of sexual violence. The main focus of this article will be on rape victims. Being a law student, this is a very important topic for my course as it will provide me with the necessary theoretical knowledge which will be vital for my professional life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayLiterature ReviewThere has been a lot of research done on rape. It has physical, psychological and emotional impacts on a victim. These impacts are generally not easy to manage, however with the right support and assistance they can be managed. According to a student conducted by Dean G. Kilpatrick (2000), rape is of several types: date rape, statutory rape, gang rape, spousal assault, POW rape, and prison rape (Dean G. Kilpatrick, 2000 ). Experiences of rape are not just physical and the consequences can be long-lasting, often causing long-lasting aversion to sexual conduct and social distress. In any case the victim remains emotionally, physically and psychologically scared. According to Bailey et al. (1984), often the trauma of rape can be severe to the point that the victim would need to be institutionalized and hospitalized in order to fully recover from the experience. Chapleau (2010) found that rape perpetrators are not unknown individuals, and rape victims by fathers, uncles, ex-husbands, husbands, boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, and friends are very common. Basically no one can say that they are very safe. As Dean G. Kilpatrick (2000) found, there were approximately 18,359 cases of sexual assault. Of these, approximately 86.4% of the perpetrators were known to the victims. Rape has been found to cause self-mutilation, which is when an individual deliberately or intentionally cuts or injures themselves. The pain experienced is seen as a purge or punishment. Many victims even find that focusing on the pain of cuts or wounds helps them to incidentally forget the pain of the attack itself. According to Bailey et al. (1984), some similarly inflict pain to punish themselves because they believe it was their fault; or they are blamed. As a result, Chapleau (2010) found that many rape victims are also blamed. There are many who believe in the “just world hypothesis,” believing that the world is inalienably just and that people only get what they deserve. Therefore, they may have a misleading sense of security. To avoid feeling insecure, they convince themselves that they would not be raped because they don't deserve it. According to Chapleau (2010), many others believe that it is necessary to discredit the victim, claiming that his behavior or clothing is the cause. Jennifer Temkin in her book "Rape and the Legal process", mentions an excerpt from the Police Review that describes ways to properly handle rape reports. . Some of these readings; "allow her (the victim) to make her statement in front of a policewoman and then stab her with ahorse and cart." The idea behind it is to ensure that some "evil" women do not accuse their lovers for revenge in order to ensure their own dignity (Temkin, 2002). Rape laws differ around the world For example, in Pakistan, a raped woman must have four witnesses to confirm that the rape occurred. In many Middle Eastern nations, honor killings are perpetrated against women believed to have brought disgrace to their families because of the rape. Existing Victim Recovery Programs Currently, the Rape Recovery Program provides therapy, crisis counseling, advocacy through the courts, and emotional support during the recovery process, as well as information and referrals to other helpful programs Rape recovery programs provided in the community also help with safety planning. As they are, they help rape victims with Crime Victims Reparations which are funds to cover expenses arising from the crime, for example, medical and mental health expenses, therapy, relocation if necessary, and replacement of damaged items (“Rape Prevention and Education” RPE)|Funded Programs|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC,' 2018). The It Rape Education program empowers teens to make informed, safe choices about relationships and dating. Presentations are given on sexual harassment, relationships, rape, and dating violence. These can be adapted to meet the needs of the victim. Essentially, what is missing from current systems is that they do not go beyond helping the immediate victim. These programs fail to involve victims' family and loved ones in the recovery process, an important factor not only for the victim but also for their families and spouses. For example, if my wife is raped, I am also extremely affected and should be incorporated into the recovery program. This is what is missing in these programs and is the solution I will provide. Proposed Recovery Program My recovery program builds on what is currently lacking in the services provided by sexual assault victim recovery programs. Therefore, in addition to what is currently offered as discussed above, my programs will provide additional services that will include the victim's spouse and family. As previously described, current programs leave out the victim's family and spouse or even ignore them entirely, focusing only on the victims ("Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program|Funded Programs|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC ,” 2018 ). It is worth noting that families and loved ones of rape victims are also victims in case of such a situation and therefore there should be a way in which they can be taken into consideration in the entire recovery process. Research has shown that victims who recover from rape through available means programs face another problem when they return to the community. One of these problems, which is ultimately the biggest, is the acceptance by the family and spouses to resume a normal life. This has been a huge problem that has led to many rape victims never truly recovering in the long run. Take for example the case where the victim was married, had a husband or wife, it is always up to the victim's partner to accept them. and life returns to normal. Research has shown that many rape victims, especially married ones, experience sexual problems in their marriages even after recovery. This is because the victim's partner may not fully accept her new reality. Partner's sexual activities are affected. This led to dysfunctional relationships or even divorce. This is due [email protected] G. Kilpatrick. (2000). Impact of Rape on Mental Health: National Research Center on the Prevention of Violence Against Women Medical University of South Carolina. Retrieved August 8, 2018, from https://mainweb-v.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/mentalimpact. shtmlRape Prevention and Education (RPE) Program|Funded Programs|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC. (2018, March 1). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/rpe/index.htmlTemkin, J. (2002). Rape, rape victims, and the criminal justice system. Rape and the Legal Process, 1-54. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198763550.003.0001