There has been a major advancement in national rape reporting and classification. Important changes have been made to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report which redefines rape.
Previously, “Forcible rape” had been defined by the UCR SRS as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.” That definition, unchanged since 1927, was outdated and narrow. It only included forcible male penile penetration of a female vagina.”
The new definition, “The 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.” provides the flexibility to classify someone as a victim regardless of gender and accounts for rape that occurs while individuals are incapacitated, which includes rapes that occur without physical force.
One of the major reasons that these changes were made was because of the efforts of sexual assault advocates and their public campaigns. These changes allow for more accurate reporting and tracking of rape on a national level.
