FBI Finally Votes to Expand Definition of Rape

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http://www.truth-out.org/major-victory-rape-rape-campaign/1319134767


The “Rape is Rape” campaign, demanding that all rapes be counted in the FBI’s annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR), took a huge step forward yesterday at a crucial meeting of law enforcement officials.

The Uniform Crime Report Subcommittee of the FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) voted unanimously to expand its definition of rape in the UCR. The vote came after many years of lobbying by groups such as the Women’s Law Project and the recent viral “Rape is Rape” campaign, started by the Feminist Majority Foundation and Ms. in partnership with Change.org–which resulted in nearly 140,000 emails to the FBI and the Department of Justice urging the change.

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The previous definition (unchanged since 1929) defined “forcible rape” as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will,” excluding victims of forced anal or oral sex, rape with an object, statutory rape and male rape.

The new definition–of “rape,” no longer “forcible rape”–defines the crime as “penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” The FBI would maintain data on “forcible rape” only for research and comparison.

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thank you Women's Law Project, Feminist Majority Foundation, Ms., Change.org. hugs and kisses all around

thank you FBI for waking up

[redqueen]

1. K&R

I thought this was pretty good news.