"MOI QUAND ON DIT QU'UNE FEMME MENT, EH BIEN, ELLE MENT"1: The Administration of Rape in Twenty-First Century France and England & Wales

In France and England & Wales rape is now understood as a diverse social phenomenon. It is reported, counted, categorized, and dealt with by the authorities as a serious crime. Yet, despite notable initiatives intended to improve the conviction of alleged perpetrators, major hurdles for alleged...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:French politics, culture and society culture and society, 2011-04, Vol.29 (1), p.68
Main Authors: Fayard, Nicole, Rocheron, Yvette
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
European history
Prosecutions
Rape
Stereotypes
Victims of crime
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:In France and England & Wales rape is now understood as a diverse social phenomenon. It is reported, counted, categorized, and dealt with by the authorities as a serious crime. Yet, despite notable initiatives intended to improve the conviction of alleged perpetrators, major hurdles for alleged victims remain. We show how rape is defined and prosecuted in France and England & Wales, and we use statistical analyzes to understand the scale of the problem, still largely unknown. We also discuss recent controversies (attrition rate; loicadre), exploring a culture of scepticism among police and judiciary that causes complaints to be dropped or downgraded to lesser crimes. Our interview material from France explores two difficulties: When is rape not rape? Did the alleged victim consent to the penetration? Finally we analyze the paradoxical role played by voluntary victim support groups that resist but also collude with a complex regulatory system that fails those who do not speak in legitimate codes. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:1537-6370
1558-5271