How common are false accusations of rape? 

Although it’s impossible to know how many rape accusations are false, an oft-cited 2010 study put the frequency at between 2% and 10%, with an average of about 6%. An FBI study put the frequency at 8%.

However, these numbers count all rape accusations – including those against strangers. If we assume that false accusations against strangers are very low – say, 2% – it would mean that false accusations against known people would be five times that, or 30%.

But why would anyone falsely accuse someone of rape? 

One study identified teenage girls as the most likely source of false rape allegations. According to the researchers, they make the claims to avoid getting into trouble with their parents or to avoid social criticism from their peers. In fact, half of the complaints documented in the study were made, not by the victims themselves, but by parents or friends.

A 2017 report by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that fake accusers “were primarily motivated by emotional gain. Most false allegations were used to cover up other behavior such as adultery or skipping school.” They were also used for extortion, revenge or retaliation, and out of a desire for attention.

It should be needless to say, but it must be said: The effect on the falsely accused is usually permanent and devastating. Click here and here and here for a few examples.

Another Kind of Rape 

There has always been a kind of rape that was almost never prosecuted… because nobody seemed to care about it. Prison rape. It was thought to happen to young men that were imprisoned for the first time, and the general reaction to hearing about it ranged from indifference to approval. It was an extra, deserved punishment. And a good deterrent. So it was, and still is, pretty much ignored.

In 2001, Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 4.3 million inmates had been raped while incarcerated in the United States. You can read about it here.