Second rape of rape victims: The relationship between global rape laws, unreported rape cases and women's rights

Rape is the unlawful sexual assault against another person resulting in sexual intercourse without the person's consent. It is simply forced sexual intercourse. Many rape incidents go unreported. For example, 60% of rape cases in the United States is unreported. (RAINN, 2012). 1 in 10 women has been raped and a third subjected to sexual violence. In a survey reported by the human rights watch, 25% of young men in South Africa admitted to have had sex with a woman without her consent. The paper explores the link between unreported rape cases and sexual laws. For example, some rape laws require the presence of four witnesses for a crime to be considered as rape. In many laws, the punishment for rape crime is considered as being too harsh or too lenient, leading to low rate of convictions of rape perpetrators. The paper also relates rape policy issues to women's reproductive health and rights. It concludes by proffering solutions to improve global rape policies, encourage reporting of rape cases in order to improve women's health and rights.