So in other words, rich people can buy the silence of whoever they rape, and violent people can intimidate them into silence?
Sounds like America to me
Just like the OMG CHILD RAPIST speech.
In Europe, by and large,
rape requires the use of violence or threat of it, or drugging someone senseless.
Sexual abuse is if the other party says "no" but still lets it happen, or has caused herself (himself) to be too intoxicated to say no.
Taking advantage of a minor (the US term is the weasel word "statutory rape") covers both consensual and non-consensual encounters. If it's consensual and there's not much age difference (usually <5 years), then the authorities won't even press charges at all. If there's a big age difference but she was clearly willing and understood what was going on, then there's usually only a "slap on the wrist" (ie. conditional sentence), plus if the adult was acting in
bona fide (eg. she had used fake ID to get into a bar not allowing minors) the case might collapse on itself on that basis. Unconditional jail sentence is usually handed only if it was not consensual, the minor did not understand what was going on, the minor was pre-puberty, or the adult clearly coerced the minor through a position of authority (teacher, coach, etc.) - just holding the position of authority is not considered coercing if she would have been otherwise willing. Also, age of consent in Europe tends to be lower - as low as 12 in Spain, but usually between 14-16, not like US where many states have it at (unrealistic and hypocritical) 18 years.
Depending on the country and the exact offense, yes, the charge might require action by the victim. Taking advantage of a minor is obviously a "prosecutor's case". It's a double-edged sword - some might argue that the victim might prefer let the offender go (in mild cases), rather than being forced to describe in detail the abuse in front of people and to face the abuser again, which might prove just as traumatic as the abuse itself.
Slightly off-topic, I do think that the "sex offender list" is just another US "witch-hunt" craze. You get far too easily on that list, it doesn't differentiate a 18 year old guy who had sex with a willing 17 year old from wannabe Basement Dads, plus the sentence itself should be punishment enough - public branding went out of fashion along with the Spanish Inquisition.
Plus, the trial was still unfair (biased prosecutor, biased judge & jurors and a forced plea bargain). Also, Polanski's whereabouts have been known for the past decades, so letting it lie and digging up the case only now is not only unreasonable, it's also clearly just a political vehicle some wannabe governor/senator/DA/Supreme Court judge/whatever who will abuse the "OMG THINK OF THE CHILDREN!" card.
