is rape a rape only if the rapist is a rapist?

Apparently there is alot of confusion in the world about the definition of rape. Rape would be a non-consensual sexual act (whether the word "no" has been said or not - you always need the consent of the other person) It is not ok to have sex with someone who is asleep/ has been drugged/ is in a coma/has had too much to drink to be able to fight back/ says no or simply does not say yes. I always have a hard time understanding why some people want to have sex with unconscious or unwilling people but that is just me. And since im a woman, Im clearly not objective.

Obviously, the case of Dominique Strass-Kahn, former head of the international Monetary Fund (IMF) and once possible presidential candidate in France is on my mind. And from the media coverage and discussions around it, Im not the only one.  Dominique, often referred to as DSK, has been charged of several serious criminal acts, amongst them rape, towards a maid in a luxury hotel in New York. He was apprehended by police moments before a plane he was on took off to France.The first time he met a judge he was denied bail on grounds that he might flee the United States but has now been released to an appartement somewhere in New york, while his case is pending. He is due to in court again in june. His defence team did a good job,  paid over 6 million dollars, and made some guarantees so the second judge would release him (he has a guard outside his door so he remains inside and an ancle bracelet so his whereabouts can be monitored). A position possible because of who he is, "Jean" or unemployed "Johnny" does not have access to this kind of luxury. Now DSK could finally be reunited with his wife who finds this horrible and is convinced her husband is victim of a plot to take him down and that ultimately he will be found innocent (nevermind that his defence says this act was consensual between him and the maid, just before he headed out to lunch with his daughter)

The case is interesting for many reasons. The reaction to it has been very different between countries and cultures. In France, people had a hard time understanding how a man of this posture could do something so risky (but not horrible, as not many did identify with the victim). In a country where politicians are seen as "higher beings", they often get away with things that would not be accepted if it happened elsewhere. But what got me hooked in my media search was that I was always waiting for some uproar. Someone to stand up and say : "hey, this is not normal behaviour and we should talk about why it is happening". Unfortunately it took a long time but hopefully a change is to come. A feminist movement has raised some questions but I feel they do not go far enough. Why is it that in France, forcing someone to have sex with you, when you are a man, when you are a politician, when you have power is not immediately seen as a crime? Why would the public rather believe this is a political plot to crash his presidential hopes? Why is it so hard to believe that a man know for his "sexual appetite" would derail? Why won't they just open their eyes and see that a culture that condones violence against women will make events like thishappen more often because the attacker thinks he will get away with it. And in many cases he does. It happens every day. Daughters are burned with Acid, nieces are killed, wives are strangled, strangers, acquintances, colleagues are raped and we do not talk about it. There are about 75.000 rapes a year in France. Less than 10% lead to a conviction of the rapist. That is not an acceptable number.

Now DSK, a high-profile person, considered so civilized by his entourage (his defence even uses the word "honorable" repeatedly) is charged with terrible crimes. YES they are terrible and to be charged, there must be some evidence. Police normally does not go on such a hunt with a simple "he said, she said" scenario. If that was the case, rape victims would not be so terrified to report them and much more rapists would be convicted.

The case has still to go to court so it would be unfair to say that DSK is a rapist. But regardless, this case has triggered a long due debate about men behaving like chauvinistic pigs in the French workplace and women accepting whatever comes at them. Believe me, I've been there and it was time people talked about it openly.

More: Will this case change the behaviour of powerful men? article from Bloomberg