| | In the US marital rape was exempted from prosecution until 1976. In 1975 [[South Dakota]] removed the exception, and now all 50 states consider marital rape to be a crime, although not all states regard it as being as serious as other forms of rape. States that have no legal distinction between rape and marital rape include, but are not necessarily limited to [[Colorado]], [[Delaware]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia]], [[Indiana]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Montana]], [[Nebraska]], [[New Jersey]], [[New Mexico]], [[North Carolina]], [[North Dakota]], [[Oregon]], [[Texas]], [[Utah]], [[Vermont]], [[Wisconsin]] and the [[District of Columbia]].<ref>http://marriage.about.com/cs/maritalrape/f/maritalrape10.htm</ref> | | In the US marital rape was exempted from prosecution until 1976. In 1975 [[South Dakota]] removed the exception, and now all 50 states consider marital rape to be a crime, although not all states regard it as being as serious as other forms of rape. States that have no legal distinction between rape and marital rape include, but are not necessarily limited to [[Colorado]], [[Delaware]], [[Florida]], [[Georgia]], [[Indiana]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Montana]], [[Nebraska]], [[New Jersey]], [[New Mexico]], [[North Carolina]], [[North Dakota]], [[Oregon]], [[Texas]], [[Utah]], [[Vermont]], [[Wisconsin]] and the [[District of Columbia]].<ref>http://marriage.about.com/cs/maritalrape/f/maritalrape10.htm</ref> |
| − | | + | Where people believe that marital rape is a crime, but not as serious a crime as rape by a stranger, there is often a belief that because the spouses are well known to each other forced intimacy within a marriage is not as traumatic an event as other forms of rape. Marital rape is difficult to define. Many wives see it as just a communication problem. Rape by a stranger, a highly traumatizing event itself, is usually a one-time occurrence. Marital rape occurs between partners that could have known each other for years and could be repeated. The wife may feel a sense of betrayal, and see the relationship coming to an end.<ref>[http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk/Articles/maritalrape.htm Marital Rape</ref> |
| − | Where people believe that marital rape is a crime, but not as serious a crime as rape by a stranger, there is often found the perception that because the spouses are well known to each other forced intimacy within a marriage is not as traumatic an event as other forms of rape. However, this perception is incorrect. Rape by a stranger, a highly traumatising event itself, is usually a one-time occurrance. Marital rape occurs between partners that could have known each other for years meaning that the victim could have been raped multiple times. Furthermore, it has been found that the act of marital rape is often part of a cycle of domestic violence experienced by the victim.<ref>[http://www.hiddenhurt.co.uk/Articles/maritalrape.htm Marital Rape</ref> | |