PORTUGAL: NEW SOCIAL PHENOMENON – WOMEN RAPING MEN

The latest statistics released by the Portuguese Judiciary Police are somewhat disturbing: it is estimated that there are 11 cases of rape every day in Portugal, in a population of 10 million. This statistic is based on the fact that there is one confirmed complaint per day but that 90% of rape victims do not tell the authorities in Portugal. This is due to the fact that generally the victim is so horrified that she closes up and refuses to accept what has happened. Only through psychological counselling do the victims start to open up and admit the crime committed against them. Other reasons are fear of retaliation or the fact that a proportion of women raped are prostitutes – who are sometimes raped even by policemen. Comparisons are made with other countries, showing that the statistics are similar in Western European countries but that the rape rate in the USA is far higher. In Europe, only 10% of victims report the crime, whereas in the USA, the figure is 25% . There are two categories of the classical rapist – the desire for power over another human being and the desire for revenge against women. However, a third category has since appeared in Portugal – that of the female rapist. Recently in Lisbon, a group of three women raped five men. It is not stated by the police report how much resistance these men offered.

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey Pravda.Ru Lisbon