This week the FBI announced that it is changing the definition used to define rape for the compilation of crime statistics. The FBI has been using the same definition since the 1920s. It defined rape as: “The carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will.” This definition essentially means that an act is only rape if it involves vaginal penetration and if there is physical force. So, if the victim is only threatened verbally it was not counted as rape. If there is force, but the penetration is not vaginal, it was not counted as rape. If the victim was male, it was not counted as rape.
Obviously there were some serious problems with this old-school definition. Why should we care? A shocking percentage of American women are sexually assaulted or raped. We need to be aware of this problem in order to change it. When the statistics more accurately report what is happening, it will hopefully translate to the creation of a safer world for our daughters and sons!
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