Paula Kamen

In the following viewpoint, Paula Kamen takes issue with commentators who claim that antirape activists have inflated rape statistics. These critics, she contends, often fail to consider important aspects of the rape studies they criticize and end up misrepresenting the results of those studies. Statistics on sexual violence actually underestimate the prevalence of rape on college campuses and in society, Kamen asserts. Therefore, she concludes, more serious-minded dialogue is needed to combat sexual violence in a way that promotes women’s freedom, self- respect, and autonomy. Kamen is on the advisory board of the Women’s Media Watch Project of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, a national media watchdog group. She is also the author of Feminist Fatale: Voices from the “Twentysomething” Generation Explore the Future of the...