rape in the united states rape in the united states rape in the united states is defined by the united states department of justice as "penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim." while definitions and terminology of rape vary by jurisdiction in the united states, the fbi revised its definition to eliminate a requirement that the crime involve an element of force. rape types acquaintance rape campus rape corrective rape lgbt victims date rape gang rape genocidal rape gray rape live streaming rape marital rape prison rape rape chant serial rape statutory rape unacknowledged rape rape by deception effects and motivations effects and aftermath pregnancy from rape rape trauma syndrome causes post-assault mistreatment weinstein effect sociobiological theories rape culture by country afghanistan belgium china democratic republic of the congo egypt finland france germany india pakistan papua new guinea philippines saudi arabia south africa sweden united kingdom united states during conflicts circassian genocide nanking massacre world war ii eastern front italian campaign occupation of germany / japan / poland liberation of france / serbia kashmir conflict vietnam war bangladesh liberation war bosnian war rwandan genocide darfur genocide sri lankan civil war isil syrian civil war tigray war russian invasion of ukraine laws marital rape laws by country marry-your-rapist law rape shield law false accusation of rape rape investigation rape kit sexual consent in law related articles history of rape date rape drug rape statistics rape by gender rape of males anti-rape device rape crisis centers rape investigation rape myth rape pornography rape and revenge films rape fantasy rape schedule anti-rape movement portals law portal a 2013 study found that rape may be grossly underreported in the united states. furthermore, a 2014 study suggested that police departments may eliminate or undercount rapes from official records in part to "create the illusion of success in fighting violent crime". for the last reported year, 2013, the annual prevalence rate for all sexual assaults including rape was 0.1% (annual prevalence rate represents the number of victims each year, rather than the number of assaults since some are victimized more than once during the reporting period). the survey included males and females aged 12+. since rapes are a subset of all sexual assaults, the prevalence of rape is lower than the combined statistic. of those assaults, the bureau of justice statistics stated that 34.8% were reported to the police, up from 29.3% in 2004. definitions in the united states, at the federal level, the fbi's uniform crime report (ucr) definitions are used when collating national crime statistics from states across the us. the ucr's definition of rape was changed on 1 january 2013 to remove the requirement of force against a female and to include a wider range of types of penetration. the new definition reads: penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim. for 80 years prior to the 2013 change, the ucr's definition of rape was "carnal knowledge of a female forcibly and against her will". at the state level, there is no uniform legal definition of rape ; instead, each state has their own laws. these definitions can vary considerably, but many of them do not use the term rape anymore, instead using sexual assault, criminal sexual conduct, sexual abuse, sexual battery, etc. one legal definition, which is used by the united states armed forces is found in the united states uniform code of military justice , defines rape as: (a) rape. — any person subject to this chapter who commits a sexual act upon another person by — (1) using unlawful force against that other person; (2) using force causing or likely to cause death or grievous bodily harm to any person; (3) threatening or placing that other person in fear that any person will be subjected to death, grievous bodily harm, or kidnapping; (4) first rendering that other person unconscious; or (5) administering to that other person by force or threat of force, or without the knowledge or consent of that person, a drug, intoxicant, or other similar substance and thereby substantially impairing the ability of that other person to appraise or control conduct; is guilty of rape and shall be punished as a court-martial may direct. statistics and data