An “alarming” proportion of adults in Great Britain remain confused about what constitutes rape, campaigners say.

A third of people surveyed for the End Violence Against Women coalition said there had to be physical violence for sexual activity to count as rape.

A third of males and 21% of females said it would not usually be considered rape if a woman had flirted on a date.

EVAW said the responses of the 3,922 people surveyed shows that “myths about rape are still very common”.

The law is unequivocal – rape is sex without consent – but many people appear unable to identify that certain behaviour amount to an offence, it added.

EVAW said younger respondents to the survey held views that are “more closely aligned to the law”.

It said the vast majority of reports to police are about rape within relationships.

But pollsters for YouGov found more than a third of over-65s do not regard non-consensual sex in marriage or a relationship as rape, compared with 16% of people aged 16 to 24.

And 42% of over 65s said if sexual activity continues after a woman changes her mind it is not rape, compared with 22% of the 25-49s.

–  BBC News

View Original: Survey Reveals ‘Alarming’ Attitudes of Britons on Rape

Image Source: Flickr