 The first American RCCs were formed in several states throughout the country in the early 1970s, largely by women associated with the second-wave feminist movement.Central to second-wave feminism was the practice of consciousness raising, which allowed groups of women to speak openly about their experiences with sexual violence and the shortcomings of law enforcement, health care providers, and the criminal justice system to effectively and constructively respond to survivors.Prior to the 1970s and 1980s several barriers existed for rape survivors seeking justice, such as the fact that the concept of marital rape did not exist, juries were instructed to be suspicious of the validity of the survivor's accusations, eyewitnesses were required to bring cases to court, and survivor blaming was the norm.