On Friday the U.S. Department of Justice scrapped their outdated definition of rape in favour of one that recognizes both men and women can be victims, and rape is not limited to forced vaginal sex.

The new definition of rape is, “the penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without consent of the victim.” The previous definition created by the FBI’s Uniform Report was made in 1927 and stated rape as “The carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will.”

So what does this change really mean? Well it means that physical resistance is not necessary to show the victim did not give consent. This means if consent is not given because of “temporary or permanent mental or physical incapacity,” which includes being intoxicated or underage, it can still be rape.

The new definition will however, not change the way local law enforcement responds to rape crimes. Most police departments already use an updated version of the FBI’s definition. What this definition will do is change how the FBI tracks sexual violence and rape in its reporting system. The hope is that with the new definition victims will feel more comfortable coming forward, in cases where they previously may have felt embarrassed.

Now let’s see if someone can come up with an effective non victim-shaming, teach people not to rape campaign.

Leah is in her last semester at Ryerson University in Toronto, Canada. Most of her life is currently dedicated to being a Senior Online Editor for the Ryerson Review of Journalism. However, she still finds time for her Storage Wars addiction. Follow her @ElleandBee

In typical discussions of rape, there is a lot of emphasis on”prevention”, and the responsibility always seems to land on women. Rape is a unique crime in that it tends to inspire victim-blaming. If someone is mugged, for example, very rarely do people come out of the woodwork to say they were asking for it, that they could have prevented it, that because of their lack of character, they deserved it. When a woman is raped, it is because she was doing something to invite it. She shouldn’t have been [wearing a skirt/drinking/flirting].

Rape is one of the few instances in where the onus is placed on the victim instead of the perpetrator. This is such an irresponsible stance to take, for many reasons. Rape is about a lack of consent. If a woman says “no” to sex, and she is coerced into it, it doesn’t matter what she’s wearing, if she’s been drinking, if she has a reputation for being promiscuous, or any other justification/excuse for force. The only way a woman can consent is with her words, at that very moment. Everything else is completely irrelevant.

And perhaps, the scariest statistic related to rape, is that most rape is actually not perpetrated by some random predator, that most rape is classified as some form of “acquaintance” rape.  It makes all the sense in the world to tell a woman to be careful when she’s in a room full of strangers, but who doesn’t let their guard down when they’re with people they or their friends know? Maybe it’s because rape is such a callous, inhumane, violent intrusion of someone else’s personal space and well-being that it is hard to wrap our minds around the idea of someone doing that to an acquaintance or lover? Is that why people would rather say that a rape victim is lying than believe her?

There needs to be an active focus on encouraging men not to rape. Encouraging men to be respectful of women, to listen when she says “no”, or expresses hesitation. To not perceive sex as purely an expression of masculinity. To not take advantage of women who are too under the influence to clearly say no. To understand that just because a woman says “yes” to one action doesn’t mean consent extends to every other action. That just because he’s dating someone doesn’t mean he’s ever entitled to sex. There also needs to be a shift away from the massive skepticism that tends to be placed upon women who speak out on their rapes. It is completely sexist that a crime that primarily affects women doesn’t seem to be taken seriously.