Rape is said to be the most unreported crime in the Australian justice system and it is easy to see why this is so. Any charge of rape will incite the rapt attention of the news media and in the majority of cases it provoke an angry denial from the offender.
Rape is a serious crime and a successful prosecution requires compelling evidence to be presented., and in most cases this devolves into the conversation between the two people involved and all the intimate details make embarrassing reading on news reports.
In the vast majority of cases the woman raped suffers in silence. The fact that rape has broken this vow of silence in both the Federal and New South Wales parliament has brought the issue into focus and the women of Australia are united in demanding justice. Women have found their voices and this matter will not be allowed to simply rest.
It is evident that some men are repeat offenders who impose themselves forcefully on women and the police are appealing for victims to come forward and make an " informal " report. They stress that this is important even if there is not enough evidence for a prosecution. It allows the police to build a dossier of the offenders and bring them under police surveillance.
The police are adamant that such reports will be kept confidential and no action will be taken without the victim's approval. The law makers are still struggling with the issue of " consent ". Varying state parliaments have failed to agree on a common form of agreement between two people that could not be used a defence of rape. A woman has the right to change her mind at any stage of the proceedings and this complicates the consent issue.
In the past, fear of an unwanted pregnancy placed a limit on sex between unmarried couples, but the development of the " pill " changed all that, and now some men assume that having sex with a new acquaintance is an automatic " right " - and act accordingly. For many women, unwanted sex is a hazard of establishing new relationships.
Basically, this entire issue revolves around gender imbalance. For centuries it has been a man's world. Men have been the bread winners and women the " homemakers " and mostly women were denied the educational advantages to compete in a man's world. and it is quite evident that is changing.
This uniformity of opportunity still has a long way to go, but the gap is closing. Women are taking their place in all aspects of industry and it is quite evident that they are demanding equality in deciding their choice of sexual partners.
Rape will no longer be the unreported crime on the statute books now this consent issue is reaching prominence. The world we live in now is " different " and men will need to learn new rules to achieve sexual harmony.
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