Is it philosophically justifiable to consider sexual assault worse than murder?

Question

It appears to me that many people consider sexual assault worse than murder. For example,

1. It seems generally acceptable to make jokes about murder, as long as their are no particularly graphic details. However, telling jokes about sexual assault is considered to be in poor taste.
2. Many video games involve murdering. The Hitman series is all about murder, and it also happens to be a critically acclaimed game. On the other hand, as far as I can tell, there is no major video game franchise based on the idea of sexual assault. Sexual Assault elements in GTA were not received well.
3. Most people seem to be fine with eating meat which necessarily involves slaughtering animals. On the other hand, beastiality seems to be frowned upon.
4. Some people seem to think that rapists should be given the death penalty, suggesting that they think that rape is at least as severe (although not necessarily more) as murder.

The above are just observations. I am trying to understand if the behavior of the people are grounded in good philosophical reasoning.

Should sexual assault be considered worse than murder? What is the philosophical basis for the judgement that sexual assault is worse than murder?

(Please stop Closing this as "opinion-based". I am not asking, "In your opinion, would you agree that sexual assault is worse?". I am asking "Is there philosophical justification to do so?")

Answer 1

I personally agree that there should be no question that murder is worse than rape. Deep down most people really agree. Even women. Simple proof. More women submit to rapists pointing guns at them than choose to be murdered by them.

That said, it is treated in many ways worse than murder. There is no murder registry for murderers who were released from jail like there is a sex offenders registry. Unless a murder was done in a gruesome manner a guy who was in a fight with his neighbor and murdered him in a fit of rage would not be treated with the same revulsion as someone who raped his neighbor in a drunken stupor by most people.

The reason may be that no one survives a murder. The victim is gone and can no longer speak up for himself. Conversely a rape survivor is still alive and dealing with the emotional pain afterwards. As such there are rape victims advocating so that others should not share their fate. They bring into the public conscious the pain they feel as a result of being a victim of that crime. Murder victims rarely have anyone speaking up them afterwards. There are no murder survivor groups lobbying for murder victims and bringing their pain to the public conscious. As such it doesn't have the emotional place in society that rape does

Answer 2

I don't know that it is seen as worse, but if so one may consider these as possible reasons:

• death = done. Victim is gone and forevermore unaware. Game over for them.

• rape = violation. Victim lives remainder of life able to remember being violated. Lives knowing you may again be violated. Knowing violation can and does occur. It's real. Not talk. Lives in possible fear. Possible misery or fear or depression. Obsession with past. A changed, different person with a different look in their eyes.

That may be why. The individual goes from liking and believing in justice and safety and goodness... to knowing the world isnt always fair and people aint all good. A much darker reality to live with.

Some see death as peaceful.

(Some think its not the end, but we aren't going to entertain that here).