Different men commits rape for various reasons at different times and makes it difficult to have a theory explaining the causes of all rapes. Having knowledge on why some men are disposed to rape provides a likely causes for this inclination. Rape both marital and date, can be contributed to by various cultural factors. The commonly held myths include the idea that the man should be head of the household, that if a woman engages in petting or kissing, she’s obliged to involve in sexual activities, and that what goes between a wife and husband should not be interfered by a third party. Also the belief that when a woman no to sex, in actual sense they mean yes and that a man must engage in sexual intercourse to prove his masculinity. Other causes of rape that have been highlighted include peer group influence, provocative dressing among women, and consumption of alcohol and drug abuse. Moreover, psychological issues, assertion of power, or anger could cause rape. Some may want to prove the amount of power they have over the other individual ( Riedel & Welsh, 2015).
There are various issues in the law relevant to adjudication of sexual assault such as rape shield laws. Rape shield laws prohibit the utilization of victims past sexual history as evidence to weaken the victim’s credibility. In many cases, the sexual history of individuals are dismissed by the court because they have little relevance to cases. In addition, the reason is to protect the victim from emotional distress by forbidding cross-examination of their sexual history. Other relevant issues include evidence of the victim consent, witnesses, and interest of the defendant. Therefore, these issues must be considered by the court before making any decisions of dismissing or pursing the case ( Riedel & Welsh, 2015).
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Yes, legal reforms do work but the intended goals of rape law reform have never been clear because various reform groups have different agendas. For instance, ideological issues whereby the focus is more on societal perceptions regarding rape and victims of rape drive the feminist groups ( Riedel & Welsh, 2015). Therefore, the diverse coalition among the different groups makes it difficult for legal rape reforms to work.
Reference
Riedel, M., & Welsh, W. N. (2015). Criminal violence: Patterns, causes, and prevention . Oxford University Press, USA.
