Crime Prevention Tips

Date Rape

Rapists aren’t always strangers

When someone you know – a date, steady boyfriend, or casual friend- forces you to have sex, it’s still rape.

Date or acquaintance rape is about power, control, and anger- not romance and passion.

Date rape is a serious crime. It’s a betrayal of trust and can have long-lasting emotional injuries.

Why Does it Happen?

Let’s look at sexual stereotyping and how men and women talk to each other.

• Although things are changing, society still frequently encourages men to be competitive and aggressive and teaches women to be passive and avoid confrontation.
• Men often misunderstand a women’s word and actions- the “She said no, but she meant yes” excuse.
• Some People still believe that it’s okay for a man to demand sex if he buys a women dinner or gifts, and it’s not wrong for a man to rape a women who previously had sex with him or other man.

Preventing Date Rape

As a Woman, You Can…

• Talk openly about sex, and keep talking s you get deeper into a relationship.
• Be careful not to let alcohol or other drugs decrease your ability to take care of yourself and make sensible decisions.
• Trust your gut feelings. If a place or the way he acts makes you nervous or uneasy, get out.
• Check out a first date or a blind date with friends. Insist on going to a public place like a movie, sporting event, or restaurant. Carry money for a phone call and taxi, or take your own car.
• Don’t leave a party, concert, game, or other social occasion with someone you just met or don’t know well.
• Take a look at the men around you and be wary of anyone who puts you down, or tries to control how you dress or your choice of friends.

As a Man, You Can…

• Ask yourself how sexual stereotypes affect your attitudes and actions toward other women.
• Accept a women’s decision when she says “no”. Don’t see it as a challenge.
• Avoid clouding your judgment and understanding of what another person wants by using alcohol and other drugs.
• Realize that forcing a woman to have sex against her will is rape, a violent crime with serious consequences.
• Never be drawn into a gang rape- at parties, fraternities, bars, or after sporting events.
• Seek counseling or a support group to help you deal with feelings of violence and aggression against women.

If Date Rape Happens…

• Get help. Phone the police, a friend, a rape crisis center, a relative. Don’t isolate yourself, don’t feel guilty, and don’t try to ignore it. It is a crime that should be reported. Rape by someone you know is a violation of your body and your trust.
• Get medical attention as soon as possible. Do not shower, wash, douche, or change. Valuable evidence could be destroyed.
• Get counseling to help deal with the emotional trauma caused by rape.

If It Happens To Someone You Know…

• Believe her.
• Offer comfort and support. Go with her to the hospital, police station, or counseling center.
• Let her know she’s not to blame.

Take A Stand Against Date Rape!

• Ask your student government or a parent group to sponsor a workshop on date rape and sexual stereotyping for middle and high school students. Work with a hotline or crisis center to persuade rape survivors to join the panel.
• Volunteer at a rape crisis center or hotline
• Monitor the media for programs or videos that reinforce sexual stereotypes. Write or call to protest. On the other side, publicly commend the media when they highlight the realities of date rape.
• Ask college or professional athletes or other role models to talk to high school students about sexual stereotyping and responsible behavior.
• Ask your church or civic group to organize a speaker and panel discussion on the theme, “Please listen to me-How men and women talk to each other.

Crime prevention tips from

National crime prevention council
1700 K Street, NW, Second Floor
Washington, DC 20006-3817

and

The National Citizen’s Crime Prevention
Campaign is substantially funded by the Bureau of
Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S.
Department of Justice

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