Show 1 By Dee Dee Lobato Human Side Sexual assault in any form violates the spirit as much as the body Unfortunately th the term date rape or acquaintance rape is becoming too familiar these days and has become a national concern on college campuses More than rape cases were reported nationwide in 1997 About half of these were classified as date rape Date rape is isa isa isa a sexual assault by acquaintances or people they had been dating Seventy Seventy Seventy Sev Sev- enty five percent of rape cases are r date rapes Another study also showed that one out of four college males admitted having used sexual aggression with women These high numbers in men are due to the lack of women reporting rape inci inci- dences Ninety to ninety five percent percent percent per per- cent of all sexual abuse cases go unreported Reporting these crimes is important so that the same person Rape Vs Romance A Battle No One Wins wont won't get away with it again Date rape is defined as the act of forcing sex while on a date Rape is legally defined as carnal knowledge of a person by force and against that persons person's will Two elements elements elements ele ele- ele- ele ments are necessary to constitute rape 1 sexual intercourse and 2 commission of the act forcibly and without consent The key word in inthe inthe inthe the definition is force since it is the legal line that separates rape from romance The figures are alarming but they only hint at the deeper issues involved and the pain a woman can go through when someone someone someone some some- one she knows sexually assaults her The problem is most visible visible visible ble on college campuses but not limited to them It is primarily a problem involving a young women between ages 16 and 24 Most date rapes are not the miscommunication mis tion type at all Usually the attacker attack attack- er plans the action from the very beginning and knows that the woman will object He goes to great lengths to cover all the bases Date rapes usually take place in the late night hours on weekends and an estimated 80 happen in the mans man's home It doesn't have to be that way if we all take a few precautions Be sure to choose your dates care care- fully Control the environment by choosing the dating activities and the place Avoid places where there will be alcohol and drugs Seventy to eighty percent of sexual abuse survivors report excessive use of drugs and alcohol Also let your date know your intentions and limitations limitations limi limi- tat ions from the beginning and always carry enough money for a rescue phone call or transportation The Alcohol and Drug Prevention Education Program Program Program Pro Pro- gram would like to reinforce the idea that by increasing peoples people's sensitivity sensitivity sensitivity sen sen- to the causes and prevention of date rape we may be able to help it not happen at all If you have any questions please feel free to call us at |