There are many myths that exist about rape, sexual abuse and sexual violence. These myths affect how those who experience rape, sexual abuse or sexual violence are treated by other people - including family, friends and organisations.
If a woman wears revealing clothes, she’s asking for it
Women have the right to wear whatever clothes they like. Short skirts, tight outfits and low cut tops do not mean that a women is asking for sex. Clothes are an expression of personality, but do not count as consent.
If the victim gets aroused or has an orgasm, they enjoyed it, so it cannot be an assault
The body responds to sexual assault differently, some people may find that their natural response is to orgasm. This does not mean that the survivors has enjoyed the rape and it can make the whole ordeal both more confusing and traumatic to process.
Rapists are always strangers in the dark
This is one of the more concerning myths around sexual assault and rape as in the UK 90% of all rapes and assaults are actually carried out by abusers known to the victim. This means the most common place for assaults to happen is where the victim may have previously felt safe, such as their home or their workplace.
It’s not rape or assault if they’ve consented to sex with me before
Both people need to consent to sex every time, just because somebody has previously had sex with you it does not mean that this consents all future activity. At any point, anybody has the right to say no.
It’s not rape if the couple are married or in a relationship
Rape within marriage was criminalised in 1991 and regardless of the status of a relationship, if somebody does not want to have sex or engage in sexual activity then it is their right to say no.
Prostitutes cannot be raped
Just like anybody else, somebody who works within the sex industry has the right to say no to sexual activity. They are paid for consensual sex only and are free to chose who they do business with.
Women say that have been raped to get revenge
Reporting a rape and going through a trial are very traumatic, most women would not want to start this process if they had not been raped. However, like any other crimes sometimes false allegations are made. Statistics show us that number of false reports for rape and sexual assault are the same as any other crime, this tells us that other crimes are lied about too. Not just rape.
Once a man is sexually excited, he cannot stop.
When sexually excited, men and women alike may hope that they have sex. However, we all have control over our bodies and men are able to stop themselves regardless of how excited they may feel.
These are only some of the myths that exist and these do not reflect that men and boys can be the victims of sexual assault or rape.
