First, please define your use of "feminist". It is a very subjective term that has no real basis in fact that I can think of. I believe in ngender equity, does this make me a "feminist" in your eyes?
I speak as someone who was raped at age 16 by a casual acquaintance. I think I am entitled to my say in this matter, and I do not believe my position is "uninformed" or "ignorant". I was held down in a public place by a man 5 years older than me (and twice my size) and coerced into sex while his friends watched. If that wasn't enough, I was stalked by him for a year afterwards.
Rape is defined as "sexual intercourse against the victim's consent or will; sex if the victim is incapacitated; or sex if the person is under the age of consent". Given that, let's examine the statistics of prevalence.
First, surveys across different sectors of the young adult population are sobering. Between 17 and 36% of all women admit in anonymous surveys to having been raped in their lifetime. If you set the average at 25%, it means one in 4. So, choose any 4 women you know: which one is it? Your mother, your sister, your girlfriend, or your grandmother? Because odds are one of them has been raped. Odds also are that she did not tell anyone about her experience for a variety of reasons. My experience is not unusual. I also did not report mine until 12 years later after my nervous breakdown. By the way, I am an intelligent young professional with a promising career, so it's not like I was seeking attention.
Of the ~82,000 cases reported to the police each year, 75-80% are accounts of rape by a stranger. Yet of the people surveyed anonymously, 80% KNEW THEIR ATTACKER. Let's do the math- what does this tell you about the number of cases that go unreported??? By the way, between 3 and 11% of men have been victims as well.
Breaking down the statistics further, over 50% of all rape victims were under age 18 at the time of the rape. Of the victims over 18, 75% were attacked by a current or former sex partner (spouse, boyfriend, ex, friend, etc.) There is a very ignorant sector that believes as soon as a woman gives consent once, she gives consent each time.
Now, I have read the articles claiming that between 25 and 40% of all cases reported are false. The methodology of determining this number is not given. Are these cases dismissed because of lack of evidence? Or women admititng they "made it up"? Who was surveyed? Because I'll tell you what rape trials are not a fun way to gain attention. It is extremely dangerous to question any person, male or female, who has the courage to admit to being raped. There is enough psychological damage done already to last a lifetime. Chances are a woman who says she was raped is telling the truth, even if she cannot "prove" it. Odds are she never received the help she needed to cope afterwards. Odds are even better she blames herself, or was blamed by family and friends. Finally, there is only a very slim chance that her attacker was reported, or was brought to justice. Odds are very high her attacker has assaulted other women as well as her.
Any woman who falsely accuses a man of rape is in need of mental help. Any person who falsely accuses another of any crime deserves to be sentenced. However, rape is difficult to prove, and we allow for a very damaging state of affairs if we place the burden of proof on a woman or man who only seeks to get help, and seeks justice.
I'll tell what I know from my medical and scientific background: if a disease had a 25% prevalence rate across the nation, it would be considered an epidemic. The effects of rape last a lifetime. There is an interesting link below about the effects of social trauma to rape victims after their ordeals.
http://www.musc.edu/vawprevention/research/victimrape.shtml