Date Rape Essay

“I felt his hands start to move down towards my shorts as if he was trying to unbutton them or pull them off. I was still crying at this point and felt so scared that I couldn't move” (Hummer, 1989). These were the words said by a freshman away at college after she had been sexual assaulted. From the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National network, statistics show that “over 90 percent of all gang rapes on college campuses involve fraternity men” (Hummer, 1989). Most often these woman may be labeled as trash, shameful, or ready for action, aside from a victim, prey, or survivor. Rape myths encourage these deprecating terms for women and cover the reality of a rape culture.

This portrait talks about the commonly known "date rape" drug. This portrait also tells us the awareness of GHB which contains chemicals in which predators use in order to rape victims like Patricia White.

In fact, considering the fact that much of the information young people know about sexual assault comes from word of mouth, there is a large amount of misinformation when it comes to sex-based violence. When being given tips on how to avoid being sexually assaulted, one may cite that individuals should not walk alone at night or they should only accept drinks at a party from people they trust. Although these are pieces of advice that should be kept in mind, they do not sufficiently address the threat of sexual assault. Based on the commonly discussed ways to keep away from sex-based crimes, one would likely expect the most common perpetrator of sexual assaults to be a stranger. However, that is a misconception. In actuality, a survey run by the University of Michigan reported, “Only five-and-a-half percent of students reported no prior relationship or did not know the perpetrator” (“Sexual Assault Misconceptions”). Information such as the victim knows the assailant in eighty percent of rape cases and approximately half of all sexual assaults are carried out in or near the victim’s house is important for the public to know (“Facts About Sexual Violence;” “Scope of the Problem: Statistics”). Removing misconceptions about sex-based crimes by educating those who are approaching the target age of sexual assault (those that are eighteen to

According to the Los Angles College Consortium (n.d.) there are effects associated with alcohol use they include that the use of alcohol is a factor in most college rapes, alcohol is considered the number one date rape drug, and there is an increase in the likelihood of sexual assault among acquaintance during social interactions. Drug-facilitated sexual assault is defined as “unwanted sexual contact or intercourse that occurs when the victim is too intoxicated or high from alcohol and/or a drug given to her without her consent or against her wishes” (Lawyer et al, 2010, p. 454). Other drug-facilitated sexual assaults include GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, and Soma (Los Angeles College Consortium, n.d.). These drugs render victims unconscious and they tend to have little or no memory of what happened (Los Angeles College Consortium, n.d). Examples include the following heavy alcohol use was found to predict later sexual assault in a sample of 274 college women, sexual assault were nine times higher on days when a woman reported heavy drinking than days where no alcohol was consumed, and approximately one third to one half of victims report drinking at the time of the assault (Kaysen, Neighbors, Martell, Fossos, & Larimer, 2006). Cases of drug facilitated sexual assault tend to fall through the cracks in the criminal justice system according

Crimes have been occurring throughout history since the beginning of time, criminal mishaps extend back to Cain murdering his brother Abel. However, over time new crimes more severe than murder have come about that have ripped the moral fabric of an individual’s whole being. Date rape, a topic that has been widely discussed in America has been occurring more and more frequently. Many individuals know little others know infinite amounts on the topic, yet there are still many misconceptions about the topic. In America date rape has become a growing epidemic on the rise, affecting men and women, causing physical damage, intense emotional effects, death and long-lasting effects on victims.

The perspective offered by such longitudinal data sheds remarkable light on the "problem" of statutory rape, identifying for us key markers, as well as key actors, in the history of the law's enforcement and helping us to understand their roles in constructing the meaning of this crime over successive generations. ... The statutory rape codes have been used at various times to reinforce fathers' interests in their daughters' marriageability, to protect young women's chastity from seductive men, to control promiscuous or disease-laden adolescent females, to enhance child support collection efforts, to reduce teenage pregnancy, and to identify and punish sexual exploitation of teenagers. ... Given the constant state of jockeying, compromise and

Date rape is a serious offense and should be not taken lightly. The National Crime Victimization Survey and the Uniform Crime Reporting provides statistics on this offense. There are also strengths and weaknesses in both tools, but they are both valuable tools. To understand date rape, it is important to know the definition, and how date rape is distinguished between stranger rape, statutory rape, and spousal rape. It’s also important to understand the drugs that are used for date rape and how they are used. The relationship between the offender and the victim can also provide a better understanding of date rape. Finally I will provide my position on this issue and how

Date rape can sometimes be a tedious topic to converse upon between male and female but nevertheless, it needs to be. Rape isn’t something that is wanted or desired by anyone. It is a violent act committed by a predator, often from lustful desires, as an attempt to display power and control over the victim (“What Is Rape …”). Numerous people only think that rape is a physical state, which isn’t true at all. Rape can be verbal, visual, or just about anything whatsoever that forces the person into any kind of sexual contact that they don’t provide consent to be a part of (“What Is Rape …”).

The Centers for Disease control reports that one out of every five women will be sexually assaulted or raped during their lifetime with most victims being girls or younger women. According to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (https://www.rainn.org) which calls itself “the nation 's largest anti-sexual assault organization,” nine out of ten rape victims are women and there are more than 237,000 victims of sexual assault in the U.S. every year, with a reporting rate of only 40 percent. Eighty percent of victims are under 30. Two-thirds of all the reported assaults are by someone known to the victim and only 3 percent of rapists get any jail time. The effects of rape are long lasting and have public health and social welfare consequences. According to RAINN, victims of sexual assault have higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and drug and alcohol abuse than the general population. Rape is a personal issue because of the trauma it induces in its

One campus only had a single incident of date rape in four years that did not involve alcohol. Date rape tends to be fostered by poor communication and a difference of expectations. These problems are magnified by even a little alcohol.

Sexual assault is not just a crime against an individual, it affects families, the community, and society as a whole. In recent years, our society has shifted to one of rape culture and rape myth. Rape myths are erroneous, stereotypical, and prejudicial beliefs about rape victims and reasons of sexual assault. Rape myths can impact survivors of assault, as well as the behavior and effectiveness of family, friends, medical and social services, and law enforcement (Rape Victim Advocates, 2016). Rape impacts our society by attacking the cohesion and mutual protection that makes a society. When we allow such crimes to go without the most vigorous and vigilant investigation and punishment, we allow for whole segments of society to be diminished, we are sending the message that society is okay with rape (Abbey,

 Date rape is a forcible sexual intercourse by an acquaintance, where one resists sexual advances either verbally or physically. The perpetrator of this crime varies from boyfriends to casual acquaintances. The Centers for Disease Control reported that eight out of ten rape or sexual-assault cases were carried out by people of these relationship statuses. Sometimes rapists claim they are given given mixed signals, or even misread simple flirtation as a woman’s sexual advance. In any situation, a woman is not

p. 69).” rape is violence against women. It is a violation of her body and her trust. According to Burns, a sociologist at Michigan State University, “rape is forced and unwanted intercourse, where sexual assault is used as a power and sex is a method (Mousseau, 2006. p. 1).” Most rapes are committed not by strangers, but by men known to women, perhaps someone they have gone out with or are supposedly their friends. It can be someone she just met or even her fiancé, but often it is an attempt to assert power or anger. A study by the National Center for the Preventive and Control rape claims ninety percent of rapes are never reported. In those that are reported, sixty percent knew their assailants. Of these, women fifteen to twenty-five are majority of the victims. Alcohol and drugs sometimes play a significant factor, especially in date rape or acquaintance rape cases (Mousseau, 2006).

College-age adults are known to be high risk for sexual violence and most studies show that one in three women have experiences some type of sexual assault whether it was through physical force or harassment. These statics are known by most women on college campuses to ensure that women know and understand that this could happen to them. The issue is more than ensuring that women are aware of how protect themselves and know how to avoid these situations because it shouldn’t even be happening. When women are taught that they should know how to defend themselves we are saying that this type of behavior is normal and inevitable. We should shift from this dynamic and start teaching both men and women that this behavior is completely unacceptable and that sexually assaulting or harassing someone is NOT normal. This paper will mostly focus on incidents of rape and sexual assault on college campuses and what the outcome and reactions of these incidents were.

     Webster’s Dictionary describes rape as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse. Rape is a crime in which most women cannot defend themselves. The fear of rape plagues every woman at some point or another in her life. The traumatic effects of rape vary from mild to severe, from psychological to physical. This paper will evaluate rape, as well as the effects it has on women, the theory behind male dominance and patriarchy, and differences in demographics.