Virtual Rape Is Traumatic, but Is It a Crime?

[ceegee{Benz}]

Well I have been pondering over this ever since ID started the thread.

Virtual rape isnt really possible as rape as we know it. When we hear the words RAPE we automactically associate it with forms of unconsented sexual acts to another human being. But rape comes in main forms. It is abuse..a violation of another human being.
This is where it gets confused on the net. People can abuse and do abuse others on the net...not physically but mentally to the point it affects that person's everyday life. As it does a person who has been Raped in the real world.

To understand rape is to have lived it and for those who havent...they can only try to understand what that person has been through. The emotional damage...the physical damage and the mental damage is ...well... there are no words to describe it. And the memories do not go away...it is always there with you for the rest of your life. Any one little thing can trigger off the memory of that event, whether it be a certain smell, a certain place, a name anything at all.
And to top it off..if and when a rapist is convicted and sent down for however long...for them and the jury it is all done and dusted.
But what about the victim????
They have to live with what was done for the rest of thier lives.

ceegee

[Guest 91108]

Well I have been pondering over this ever since ID started the thread.

Virtual rape isnt really possible as rape as we know it. When we hear the words RAPE we automactically associate it with forms of unconsented sexual acts to another human being. But rape comes in main forms. It is abuse..a violation of another human being.
This is where it gets confused on the net. People can abuse and do abuse others on the net...not physically but mentally to the point it affects that person's everyday life. As it does a person who has been Raped in the real world.

To understand rape is to have lived it and for those who havent...they can only try to understand what that person has been through. The emotional damage...the physical damage and the mental damage is ...well... there are no words to describe it. And the memories do not go away...it is always there with you for the rest of your life. Any one little thing can trigger off the memory of that event, whether it be a certain smell, a certain place, a name anything at all.
And to top it off..if and when a rapist is convicted and sent down for however long...for them and the jury it is all done and dusted.
But what about the victim????
They have to live with what was done for the rest of thier lives.

ceegee

I think this covers my view of it.
If the receipent veiws it as abusive...
If it isn't just a matter of cutting off the window or shutting down the pc...
Then it has crossed a line that the being merely online.
for many .. Online is as real as real life. It depends upon that persons views.
Online relationships can be just as close as real life, even crossing over into real life with face-to-face meetings.
I do not draw such distinctions.
so a mental/virtual rape could/would be criminal IMM.
I'm sure Rape victims would view it's occurence as just as harmful.
And with my understanding of traumatic experiences it would add to anything previously.. so would be even more harmful.

[cadence]

The question and my post to it, has been bothering me, so I decided to look up more information on the Virtual Rape story.

I am the Queen of Assumptions, and basically misunderstood the whole interpretation of virtual rape.

After reading an article revolving around a virtual rape that has been brought forth before the courts. I find the whole thing brings up many points to ponder about virtual life and real life, and how they can at times almost connect together if you let them.

In my own opinion, virtual rape is not a crime, it can be emotionally devastating, to the actual person (not the character), but to pull it out into the real world seems a bit much.
And yes virtual rape and real rape cannot be compared as the same thing. Although the same word is used to decribe both occurances, the actual acts are very different.

Considering the whole story, it involves a virtual setting where a character makes a "voo doo" doll to force two other characters to perform unwanted, unwilling sexual acts.
The ending to the story involves the rest of the virtual community to forgo a "virtual death" to the rapist. Now you have a virtual rape, turned into a virtual murder, and I highly doubt you can convict anyone in real life for that.
It also leaves the rapist to come back into the community as a new character.
If the rapist was to repeatedly do what he/she had done on a continuous basis, the only recourse would be to ban the IP address, thus ending any more emotional trauma to others.
If it was to be brought to the courts and charged, I can only guess that harrassment would be the only charge that would be feasible.



[QUOTE=anonymouse;290137](Cadence - I LOVE your avatar! ) Thanks