NCJ Number
105511
Date Published
1986
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This pamphlet discusses the problem of marital rape and how it is viewed by the law.
Abstract
One in seven women has been raped by her husband, often in circumstances where the couple was separated or in conjunction with physical abuse. Women have a right to control their bodies and make decisions about having sexual intercourse, and many States now make it a crime for a husband to force his wife to have sex. In some States the parties must be formally living apart, in other States informal separation is required, and others have entirely abolished the marital rape exemption. The precedent for abolishing the marital rape exemption was set in a 1984 New York court decision that held that marriage does not give the husband a right to forced sex and that marital privacy ought not serve as a shield for violent acts. In addition to seeking help from counselors and support groups, various national resources are available to women who have been subjected to sexual violence. These are listed.