In this article the findings from a recent research project on women's perceptions of rape in Beirut are presented. This study, which relied on interviews, participant observation and a review of newspaper articles, illustrates that when a sexual incident involves strangers or the use of physical force, or occurs within the bounds of arranged marriage, it is more likely to be perceived as rape, not as consensual sex.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abdul-Husn, R. (1994) `Reports from Newspapers' , Al-Raida11(65/66): 24-26 .
2.
Al-Chark(1998) `Al-ashgal al-shaqa sit sanawat limoutaham bil'ightisab' [Six Years of Hard Labour for a Rape Offender] (June): 10-10 .
3.
Bergen, R.K. (1996) Wife Rape. Understanding the Responses of Survivors and Service Providers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications .
4.
Day, S. (1994) `What Counts as Rape? Physical Assaults and Broken Contracts: Contrasting Views of Rape among London Sex Workers', in P. Harvey and P. Gow (eds) Sex and Violence. Issues in Representation and Experience, pp. 172-189. New York: Routledge .
5.
Faour, A. (1995) Al-mar'a al-lubnania. Fi mouwajahat al-harb wa-l `ounf (1975-1990) wal tahadiaat al-ijtima'iat wa'l-iktisadiat [The Lebanese Woman. Confronting War and Violence (1975-1900) and Socio-economic Challenges]. Beirut: Lebanon Family Planning Council .
6.
Glaser, B.G. and S.L. Strauss (1967) The Discovery of Grounded Theory. Strategies for Qualitative Research. Chicago, IL: Aldine .
7.
Haddad, R. (1998) `Many Sri Lankan Women Face Constant Battle with Adversity' , The Daily Star (September): 3-3 .
8.
Hammock, G.S. and D.R. Richardson (1997) `Perceptions of Rape: The Influence of Closeness of Relationship, Intoxication and Sex of Participant' , Violence and Victims12(3): 237-246 .
9.
Johnson, J.D. and I. Russ (1989) `Effects of Salience of Consciousness-raising Information on Perceptions of Acquaintance Versus Stranger Rape' , Journal of Applied Social Psychology19(14): 1182-1197 .
10.
Kabbanji, J. and A. Attat (1997) Al-mar'a al-`amila fi lubnan. Nata'ij midania wa tahlilia [The Working Woman in Lebanon. Field Results and Analysis]. Beirut: Sharikat al-matbou`at lil-tawzi` wal-nashr .
11.
Kanekar, S., A. Shaherwalla, B. Franco, T. Kunju and A.J. Pinto (1991) `The Acquaintance Predicament of a Rape Victim' , Journal of Applied Social Psychology21(18): 1524-1544 .
12.
Kopper, B.A. (1996) `Gender, Gender Identity, Rape Myth Acceptance, and Time of Initial Resistance on the Perception of Acquaintance Rape Blame and Avoidability' , Sex Roles34(1/2): 81-93 .
13.
Lebanese Council to Resist Violence Against Women (LCRVAW) (1997) `Foundational Statement', Beirut.
14.
Qassim, M. (1999) Quanoun al-`oqoubat al-lubnani ma` al-ta`dilat al-akhira [The Lebanese Penal Code with the Latest Revisions]. Beirut: Manchurat al-halabi alhoquoukia .
15.
Roberts, J.V., M.G. Grossman and R.J. Gebotys (1996) `Rape Reform in Canada: Public Knowledge and Opinion' , Journal of Family Violence11(2): 133-148 .
16.
Sawyer, R.G., P.J. Pinciaro and J.K. Jessell (1998) `Effects of Coercion and Verbal Consent on University Students' Perceptions of Date Rape' , American Journal of Health Behavior22(1): 46-53 .
