How to prevent acquaintance rape
Acquaintance rape or date rape is an offense when someone is threatened or forced to have unwanted sexual activity by someone they know. The culprit could be a classmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, neighbor, or co-worker. The crime may include unwanted sexual touch and penetration. This kind of rape can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime.
The victims of acquaintance rape often won’t seek help or tell anybody about it because they don’t recognize the experience as rape. Moreover, they may feel betrayed, ashamed, guilty, and frightened.
According to the Department of Justice, victims of acquaintance rape knew the assailants 91% of the time. About 46% of sexually active college females reported experiencing unwanted intercourse. There is no single solution to avoiding acquaintance rape, and everyone needs to know it can happen to anyone.
The following tips may help prevent acquaintance/date rape.
- Be Clear About What You Want
- Decide your sexual limits and let them be known to your partner.
- You have every right to change your mind but remember that your partner only knows what you tell them.
- Trust your gut feelings and get out of the situation if your date acts in a way that makes you uneasy.
- When you say “No,” it says it clearly, as you mean it. If you are ignored, it is your right to get angry.
- Be alert and take precautions.
- Check out a blind date or a first date with friends.
- Meet at a public place when you’re still getting to know someone. Going to a private or empty apartment will make you vulnerable.
- Be cautious of people who are unjust, hostile, or jealous.
- Take your car and carry some cash for using a public phone or hire a taxi in case of some emergency.
- You must not leave a social event with someone you have just met or whom you don’t know well.
- Giving someone a ride or accepting one (whether you know the person or not) is risky.
- Do not let alcohol or other drugs make you too dull to care for yourself.
- If the person you are dating becomes intoxicated, end the date early.
- Don’t hesitate to make a noise and create a scene to escape a dangerous or troubling situation.
- Have an agreement with a relative or friend that you may call them anytime, and they’ll come and take you with no questions asked.
- Take a self-defense course to boost your confidence and skills. Learn to act assertively and attack forcefully if and when needed.
Five things to do in case of acquaintance rape
Since every acquaintance rape situation is different, only you can decide which actions are appropriate in a given situation. Here are some tips that may help you escape a acquaintance rape.
- Look for possible distractions and take the potential attacker’s mind off you. That moment of distraction might allow you to escape or seek help.
- Consider passive resistance like urinating, vomiting, or telling the attacker that you have an STD to scare them off.
- Use your voice and scream. Shout, “I’m being attacked! Somebody call 911, please!”
- Hit the attacker at vulnerable target areas like eyes, nose, neck, ribs, groin, knees, and instep.
- Know and use your effective weapons—fists, fingernails, head, teeth, elbows, knees, and feet.
What to do after an acquaintance rape
Do not take a shower or change clothes after an acquaintance rape. Also, keep in mind that date rape drugs can’t be detected after you have urinated.
Call 911 emergency service immediately and report the rape to the authorities. They will recommend you be examined by a medical professional who will keep the records to support the case.
Keep the acquaintance rape crime scene intact, and don’t disturb it by straightening up or cleaning it. Please keep all the things as they are.
Seek the help of a rape crisis counselor, or contact a hospital, mental health center, or a trusted friend for emotional support. Finally, contact a rape lawyer for victims to help under the procedure to protect the victim.
If the victim is some family or friend
- Please support them with all the essential follow-up, such as calling the police, contacting a hotline, or going to the hospital.
- Listen to them carefully, don’t assume things.
- Give comfort to the victim. Let them know they are not alone and are not to blame.
Info about date rape drugs
GHB and Rohypnol are called “date rape” drugs since they can be easily slipped into your drink, and a sexual assault can happen without your consent or knowledge. When mixed in a glass, these drugs are odorless, colorless, and sometimes even tasteless.
- GHB – Street names of this drug include liquid X, G-juice, vita-G, scoop, or saltwater, and it can cause quick sedation. The effects of GHB are nausea, drowsiness, vomiting, dizziness, headaches, coma, and even death. It is a clear liquid in its most common form, though it can also be a grainy, white powder.
- Rohypnol – This drug is known as roopies, roofies, forget pills, and circles. It works like a tranquilizer and causes muscle weakness, slurred speech, fatigue, and loss of motor coordination and judgment that usually lasts up to 24 hours. It looks like an aspirin — small, round and white.
Things to keep in mind
- Be careful while having drinks with someone you don’t know well.
- Be wary of drink exchanges, and don’t leave your drink unattended.
- Don’t have a drink with an unusual taste or appearance (for example, excessive foam, salty taste, unexplained residue).
- When you go to a party or visit a bar, appoint a designated “sober” individual and check up on each other every few minutes or so. If one of your friends looks intoxicated, passes out, appears to be having difficulty breathing, or behaves unusually, take action. Call 911 for emergency help.
