Monday, January 28, 2013

Date Rape Prevention



Date Rape Prevention
According to ACADV (Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence) 38 percent of date rape victims are girls between the ages of 14 to 17. Their website reports, “More than half [the] young women raped (68 percent) knew their rapist either as a boyfriend, friend or casual acquaintance.”
It is difficult to ignore the magnitude of these statistics. And yet, women and young women in our culture are apt to say, “it won’t happen to me” and parents say, “it won’t happen to my child.” This mentality creates a bubble of ignorance and denial about these topics.
One proactive approach to prevention is having a plan for dating safety, whether for yourself or for your children. The Domestic Violence Advocacy Program of Family Resources, Inc. offers these preventative measures so that young women are not put in a situation which will make them feel unsafe.

Dating Safety
  • Consider double-dating the first few times you go out with a new person.
  • Before leaving on a date, know the exact plans for the evening and make sure a parent or friend knows these plans and what time to expect you home. Let your date know that you are expected to call or tell that person when you get in.
  • Be aware of your decreased ability to react under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
  • If you leave a party with someone you do not know well, make sure you tell another person you are leaving and with whom. Ask a friend to call and make sure you arrived home safely.
  • Assert yourself when necessary. Be firm and straightforward in your relationships.
  • Trust your instincts. If a situation makes you uncomfortable, try to be calm and think of a way to remove yourself from the situation.
Other tips anonymous women have provided when dating someone for the first time:

  • Meet somewhere well-lit in public. Having dinner at a restaurant with other people around is safer than going someplace alone with him like his house or even hiking in the woods in the evening.
  • Meet somewhere familiar. Perhaps it is a coffee shop that you frequent where the wait staff knows you by face or name.
  • Select a location with multiple exits.
  • Never get in a car with someone you don't know.
  • Don't leave your drink unattended at a party, bar or restaurant.
Resources, blogs and websites for rape prevention, therapy and statistics:
Please thank author Jim C. Hines for providing the majority of these links. This is a list in progress. Feel free to make suggestions of other websites.



Blog posts - Use the rape tag to find related posts.
      • Thoughts on Men and Rape. The huge problems with treating rape as a “women’s issue.” 4/21/08.
      • Sleeping Beauties. Because asleep does not equal consent, dammit! 4/1/09.
      • Writing About Rape. Because so many published authors write about rape, and do it so badly.  4/7/09.
      • Significant Others. How rape affects both the survivor and those around her/him, and what I’ve learned from being in the S.O. role.  4/22/09.
      • Victim Blaming. Responding to an incident in which the Stamford Marriott blamed a rape victim for her own attack, claiming she “failed to exercise due care for her own safety and the safety of her children and proper use of her senses and facilities.”  8/14/09.
      • Rape in Fandom. Discussing rape at conventions and other SF/F circles, and the need to speak out. 2/26/10.
      • Steubenville, Ohio rape December 2012 http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/17/sports/high-school-football-rape-case-unfolds-online-and-divides-steubenville-ohio.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
      • New Delhi rape exposes the peril of being a woman in. India rape on the rise: http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/21/world/asia/india-rape-danger/index.html  1/3/13

Other Resources:

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