Rape is a very strange term.
Most of us would think that rape is one of the most easily definable crimes that a person can commit.
However, this is not the case.
Rape is a legal term that has a different definition in many jurisdictions.
This is what makes the term "rape" so confusing.
Depending on the jurisdiction that you happen to be in, rape can be defined very narrowly or fairly broadly.
There are some jurisdictions in which rape is defined incredibly narrowly.
In these jurisdictions, rape can only be performed by a man against a woman.
In addition to that, the man must penetrate the vagina with his penis at some point.
If this does not occur, the act is not considered a rape.
This also means that men cannot rape other men, and women cannot rape at all.
Other jurisdictions define rape much more broadly.
For instance, some jurisdictions define rape as any penetration of a woman by a man.
Some of the constraints of the first definition still apply, but this definition makes more sexual assaults rapes.
With this definition, a man who penetrates a woman either anally or orally can be charged with rape.
This would not happen with the first definition.
There are even broader definitions of rape as well.
The broadest definition may be any forced penetration of a person whether penile or otherwise.
This means that a rape can be committed by any person against any person.
This is the type of definition that allows for female rapists.
There are many more definitions of rape as well.
Most of them fall somewhere in between the above definitions.
Unfortunately, this major difference in the definitions of rape is a problem for statistics.
Where one jurisdiction says that the incidence of rape is low, it may be just as high as it is in another jurisdiction with a broader definition.
It also makes it very difficult to say what the national incidence of rape actually is.
The difference in definitions of rape also means that there are different charges.
The same crime committed in two different jurisdictions can be charged differently.
Where one might be a rape, the other would be asexual assault.
This can also lead to another set of problems.
If you would like to know more about rape, you can find information by clicking here.