Title: A Reflection on the History of Sexual Assault Laws in the United States - The Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service
Headings: A Reflection on the History of Sexual Assault Laws in the United States
A Reflection on the History of Sexual Assault Laws in the United States
A Reflection on the History of Sexual Assault Laws in the United States.

Content: What was once swept under the rug is now the hammer being used to shatter the stigma of sexual assault. Crumbling too is the sense of security once felt by sexual predators. As the #MeToo movement has gained popularity, companies and employers have rushed to disassociate themselves with men accused of sexual misconduct. In November 2017, NBC fired its “crown jewel” Matt Lauer after a two-month investigation into several claims of sexual harassment by female staffers. So too was Kevin Spacey fired from Netflix’s hit original series “House of Cards” after actor Anthony Rapp alleged that Spacey made unwanted sexual advances towards him when he was only 14. Companies and employers taking the moral high ground has been a beacon of hope for many, but this was not always the case. Even our laws, which regard rape as a one of the most violent crimes a person can commit, did not always punish the perpetrators accordingly. The Code of Hammurabi, one of the earliest sets of written laws, considered the rape of a virgin as property damage against her father. For a long time, the rape of a woman was considered a property crime against the victim’s husband or father. The word itself derives from the Latin word rapere, or “seize”.