There is no federal law prohibiting sexual violence in the form of rape. It is left up to the states to define and prosecute this heinous offence. Needless to say, definitions and penalties for rape vary greatly from state to state. Obtaining accurate statistics regarding rape is difficult, however it is estimated that less than 3% of accused rapists see any jail time. Barring the over-extension of federal power, this petition calls for the creation of a nationally accepted definition for sexual violence in the form of rape from which state laws can be derived, in an effort to formalize the approach taken to bring perpetrators to justice.
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