NCJ Number
178287
Journal
Crime & Justice International Volume: 14 Issue: 22 Dated: November 1998 Pages: 15-35
Date Published
November 1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
The occurrence of rape caused by group aggression goes back in history, and the correlation between wearing uniforms and sexual aggression, racial and ethnic discrimination related to gang rape, and genocide accomplished through group rape is of interest to social psychologists, policymakers, and international organizations such as the United Nations.
Abstract
The prevalence of gang rape is discussed in the context of examples, specifically the gang rape of ethnic Chinese by Indonesians and the policy of ethnic cleansing and the violence against Muslim women in the Balkans. In response to the Balkans situation, rape is now an internationally recognized war crime. Despite the prevalence of gang rape throughout the world, psychological studies and explanations of group-induced sexual violence are rare. The concept of deindividuation may explain some of the motives for committing an atrocity such as gang rape, but the social-psychological implications of gang rape require better information and more study if the trend is to be reversed. Deindividuation occurs when private self-awareness (perceptions, thoughts, and feelings about oneself) and public self-awareness (attention to oneself as a social object) are diminished by such cues as immersion into a group and diffused responsibility. People immerse themselves into group activity and ignore any internal self-regulating behavior. Combined with the absence of accountability cues, deindividuation leaves a perception that individuals will not be punished for violating norms. Because gang rape will be a problem as long as there is conflict somewhere in the world, perpetrators must be identified and prosecuted and further research must be conducted to assess group behavior and gang rape. 9 references and 2 photographs