Date Rape and the Need for Prevention - Essay Example

? Persuasive Essay: Rape and the Need for Prevention Robert Lincoln Kaplan Persuasive Essay: Rape and the Need for Prevention\ Introduction “The man Naomi Hampson lived with was a brutal trophy rapist who was knocking her out before taking pictures as he sexually assaulted her” (Dorman, 2012). Hampson narrates, “the officers said they believed Rob used a drug to sedate me…I felt completely violated – and so stupid” (Dorman, 2012). Hampson further adds, “I hate him for what he did to me – I doubt he ever loved me” (Dorman, 2012). Date rape can occur to any two individuals who know each other or who have consented to a social engagement. While majority of date rape victims are women, men can still fall victims to such violation. The rape need not occur during a date, and such things happen even among married couples. It is in fact a bothering estimate of “14-30% of all adult women have been raped or experienced attempted rape” (Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p.749). It is even more bothering that college-aged women make up the largest share of this percentage. Furthermore, it is not comfortable to know that “84% of rape survivors knew their assailants” (Burgess & Burpo, 2012, p.749). The staggering number of date rape incidence and all the factors surrounding it such as misconceptions, social stigma, and abuse and misuse of drugs and alcohol should be prevented in order to correct any erroneous beliefs, remove social stigma that silences the victims, and educate other people on the effects of substance abuse and misuse to eventually lessen the incidences of date rape. Interesting Facts 71% of rapes are planned or premeditated. Women are the ones most likely to be vulnerable when spending time along with a man. One of the major problems of date rape is that majority of the effects are unseen or even unheard. This means that many incidents may have been left unreported. It is said that less than 5% of college women who are victims of date rape report the incident to the authorities. However, around two-thirds of these victims confide into someone about their ordeal. In another study, 40% of these college-aged victims do not report the date rape because of fear for reprisal or social stigma (Sampson, 2002, p.4). One report states, “30% of respondents said a woman is partially or totally responsible for being raped if she was drunk” (Grubb & Harrower, 2009, p.63). Furthermore, in a large study, it is reported that 22.8% of college rape victims already experienced some form of sexual assault before. There is also a possibility of that serial rapists are common among date rapists, for there is a report saying that 96 males were responsible for 187 incidences of rapes (Sampson, 2012, p.10). The numbers continue to shock when a National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that 75% of male students and 55% of female students had been drinking alcohol or taking drugs before the date rape. Considering the fact that most date rapes are unreported, there is still an average of 25% females who are reported to be victims of date rape. Passive and Active Causes Misconceptions, social stigma, and abuse and misuse of drugs and alcohol should be looked into as major components of this horrific violence against women, mainly. One, some people have particular prejudice, false beliefs, and even stereotypes about rape, rapists, and rape victims. For example, it is a widespread idea that a woman’s dress may provoke a man to be sexually aggressive. There may also be incidences when flirting may be misinterpreted as interest in having sex. There are also gendered social roles that makes one think men should pursue women, and that women should be passive and unassertive. Men might erroneously think that women expect aggression or compulsion in sexual acts. Worsening these misconceptions is the lack of knowledge. According to Burgess & Burpo (2012), there is a: number of women who have experienced events that meet the legal definition of rape, but fail to describe these events as rape; over 50% of the women who had experienced events that would be legally defined as rape did not define themselves as rape victims. (p.749) Two, “Numerous studies have pointed to the tendency of observers to denigrate the rape victim, holding them responsible for the assault” (Grubb & Harrower, 2009, p.63). Such tendency to blame the victims translates into society’s tolerance towards date rape. Three, the existence of internet pharmacies that unlawfully sell “date rape drugs” add to the perpetrator’s confidence in the crime. It is easy to slip the drug into an unknowing victim’s drink, making her helpless to an assault. According to reports, some “date rape drugs” like Rohypnol, which is illegal in the U.S., causes one to have impaired judgment, physical weakness, temporary amnesia, and slurred speech that last for the whole day. Possible Actions for Prevention Not all date rapes can be prevented. However, misconceptions can be corrected. Massive information campaigns can be done inside campuses. This means that the school administration should cooperate and take part in such programs. This is particularly important especially because the largest percentage of date rape incidences occur among college-aged individuals. Women could also prevent actions that might lead to date rape by communicating clearly and paying attention to the partner’s non-verbal cues. One should know one’s own limits in terms of intimacy, and the moment the other personal crosses this limit, one should get out of the situation. Social stigma, on the other hand, is a tougher issue to address. However, programs and support centers should be in place to encourage rape victims to come out and not feel afraid of reporting the incident. Sometimes, not reporting could also be a key to a repeat sexual assault either by the rapist or to the victim. Furthermore, while on a date or going out with someone, monitor your alcohol intake and your partner’s. As much as possible, never leave a drink unattended and do not accept already opened drinks from someone you barely know. This would lessen the possibilities of the other person slipping a drug into the drink. The availability of “date rape drugs” could remain present, that is why it is important that one’s prevention strategies come from the self. Conclusion The number of women being sexually assaulted is on a continuous rise over the years. In a society that is supposed to be protecting the well-being of every individual, it is bothering to realize the various factors surrounding date rapes such as misconceptions, social stigma, and abuse and misuse of drugs and alcohol. One should remember that date rapes are largely due to a violation of trust, thus, one should not rely on how much one trusts a person during these times. In these times of free-mingling and massive social engagements, one must remain armed with trust coated with prevention strategies and observant attitude. Sometimes, people get too happy to care about other things like safety, and this should not be the case unless one wants to increase the risks of being another Naomi Hampson References Burgess, M. C. R., & Burpo, S. (2012). The Effect of Music Videos on College Students’ Perceptions of Rape. College Student Journal, 46, 4, 748-763. Dorman, N. (2012, 2 December). “My boyfriend drugged and raped me for two years”: Brave victim’s shocking story. Mirror News. Retrieved from http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/my-boyfriend-drugged-and-raped-me-for-two-1468292 Grubb, A. R., & Harrower, J. (2009). Understanding attribution of blame in cases of rape: An analysis of participant gender, type of rape and perceived similarity to the victim. Journal of Sexual Aggression, 15, 1, 63-81. Sampson, R., & United States. (2002). Acquaintance rape of college students. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. Read More