Only 20 Countries

It goes without saying that there are legal differences between a rape that occurs between two strangers, and a rape between two people who are married or in a long-term relationship. However, differences aside, it's still rape.

Thailand has finally recognized this fact: A husband can rape his wife, and Thailand has just passed a law confirming that.

The amazing thing is that Thailand is only the 20th country on the planet to recognize that obvious truth.

Places where it is still possible to rape your wife and get away with it? Korea, Japan, China and all of Southeast Asia except for Thailand; almost all of Africa and all of the Middle East, except Israel; all of central Asia (except Sri Lanka); most of the Carribbean; most of Central America; and, most of South America.

Surpsingly, a fair number of European countries, including Italy, Greece, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal, Belgium and pretty much every country northeast, east, south, and southeast of Poland don't have marital rape laws either.

Like I said: There are differences between nonmarried and married sexual assualt, but they both exist... and both should be punishable crimes. Hopefully the rest of the world catches up.