Another misconception that has to be laid to rest is that rape is a crime undertaken purely out of uncontrolable lust or sexual desire. However in the vast majority of cases the means should not be confused with the end. Rape is carried by means of penetrative sex but rarely has anything to do with sexual desire. Interviewed rapists rarely report any lust for the victim or sense of sexual satisfaction after carrying out a rape. Those raped are seen as people who can be easily dominated and humiliated.
Rape is a power crime.
Though generally the rapist has the monopoly of force in the rape it may also indicate powerlessness on behalf of the rapist within society as a whole. Rape within marriage seems to be clearly bound up with women's inferior position within the home and family. In this context more policing, mandatory sentencing and imposing curfews on women don't address the main issue. The pathetic sentences often handed out to rapists give out the impression that rape is not taken seriously by Irish society. Cases like Levinia Kerwick's where the rapist walks free disgust most people.