| While a university
experience offers young women many rewards,
unfortunately, there are also significant dangers,
and one of these dangers is men who are sexual
predators. Acquaintance rape is a sexual assault
perpetrated by someone who is known to the victim.
It is a violent and serious crime that is far
too common an occurrence at our institutions
of higher education. It is imperative that women
in colleges and universities become informed
about 1) the crime of acquaintance rape; 2)
precautionary behaviors to try to prevent becoming
a victim of acquaintance rape; and 3) learn
procedures to follow after an acquaintance rape
has occurred, in order to successfully prosecute
the offender.
Introduction
Each year, young women leave the security of
their familiar surroundings and attend college
and universities in distant cities and locations.
These women are embarking on a journey, filled
with hopes for joy and happiness, as they seek
an academic education. Many of them are also
seeking to find the "special" someone
with whom they will share their future lives.
The campus environment, therefore, provides
for academic stimulation, as well as a variety
of activities and opportunities for socialization.
While a university experience offers young
women many rewards, unfortunately, there are
also significant dangers, and one of these dangers
is men who are sexual predators. These men could
be official students, or men who just attend
campus activities in order to meet their next
victim. A serious and violent sexual crime,
acquaintance rape, is far too common an occurrence
at our institutions of higher education. Acquaintance
rape is a sexual assault perpetrated by someone
who is known to the victim. It is imperative
that women in colleges and universities become
informed about: 1) the crime of acquaintance
rape; 2) precautionary behaviors to try to prevent
becoming a victim of acquaintance rape; and
3) learn procedures to follow after an acquaintance
rape has occurred, in order to successfully
prosecute the offender.
Statistics
A survey from the United States Bureau of Justice
reported that in three-quarters of all rapes
and sexual assaults against women, the perpetrator
is know to the victim (U.S.O.O.J., 1995). A
college survey conducted by the National Victim
Center reported that one in four college women
have been raped or suffered attempted rape (Bureau
of Justice, 1992). In another college survey,
half of the college men reported that they engaged
in some form of sexual aggression on a date
(Bureau of Justice, 1995). These reports indicate
that young women are at considerable risk of
becoming a victim of an acquaintance rapist.
The Acquaintance Rapist
Unfortunately, one cannot identify an acquaintance
rapist on the basis of his appearance. He could
be anyone, from a classmate, a science laboratory
partner, a boyfriend, or just the nice guy that
lives in the apartment next door. While acquaintance
rapist cannot be identified by their appearance,
they do engage in certain behaviors in order
to win the confidence and trust of their victims.
The primary goal of the acquaintance rapist
is to increase the victim's vulnerability. He
is highly manipulative and may make such promises
to her as "pinning," engagement, love,
and even marriage. He may also choose to use
alcohol and/or drugs in order to incapacitate
the victim, rendering her incapable of offering
him any resistance during his sexual assault.
The acquaintance rapists also significantly
increases the victim's vulnerability by manipulating
her into a situation where she will be alone
with him. This can be achieved by being alone
with her at her or his residence or in a car.
Even if she is at a fraternity party, or a sport's
event where there are many other people around,
he still could take her into a room, or a secluded
place outside, where she is ultimately alone
with him.
Alcohol and Drug
Another form of manipulation the acquaintance
rapist may use is to give his potential victim
alcohol and/or drugs, in an effort to eliminate
her ability to resist his sexual attack. Alcohol
intoxication can render her unconscious, as
well as the ingestion of several types of drugs,
which are colorless, odorless, and tasteless.
These drugs, therefore, can be slipped into
the victim's drink, where they dissolve within
seconds.
There are several drugs, referred to as "date
rape" dugs that have powerful sedative
effects and can incapacitate the victim within
20-30 minutes after ingestion. The sedation
could last for up to 24 hours. These drugs are:
Rohypnol (street name, "roofies:), GHB,
Gamma Hydrobutrate (street name, "g-juice"),
and Ketamine (street name, "Special K").
They are referred to as "date rape: drugs
because many rapists administer the drug while
on a formal date. However, these drugs could
be administered by anyone, at a bar or lounge,
at fraternity parties or at other college functions.
The symptoms, after ingestion of these drugs,
are similar to alcohol intoxication, such as
loss of motor coordination, slurred speech,
fatigue, confusion, and amnesia. Thus, the unconscious
and immobilized victim becomes an easy target
for the sexual assault. High doses of these
drugs can cause the victim to fall into a comatose
state and even cause death.
Amnesia Effect
These "date rape" drugs are often
the weapon of choice for the acquaintance rapist,
not only for their sedative effects, but because
the victim also experiences "amnesia"
within 15 minutes after ingestion. As a result
of the "amnesia effect," the victim
may wake up, naked and in unfamiliar surroundings,
such as an apartment or fraternity house, however,
she will be
unable to remember taking any drugs or even
what happened to her. Therefore, the victim
is unable to provide valuable information to
the police in an investigation and subsequently,
a successful prosecution of the rapist. In addition,
these drugs are quickly eliminated from the
body, and often not detectable in the victim's
bloodstream, which further hinders any police
investigation and prosecution.
Specific Precautionary Behaviors
There are several precautions young women can
take in order to reduce their chances of becoming
a victim of an acquaintance rapist. The following
recommendations focus eliminating on any opportunity
for her to be alone with a potential offender
by using a "buddy system."
Buddy System
The "Buddy System" can be very helpful
to avoid becoming an acquaintance rape victim.
With this method, friends can look out for each
other in social situations. Some suggestions
include:
- stay with a girlfriend to avoid a dangerous
situation
- be aware of becoming isolated
- do not let your friends out of sight
- if a friend appears especially intoxicated
after drinking a beverage, and appears confused
or too compliant, take steps to ensure the
friend's safety
- alert friends to high-risk places and situations,
such as clubs where known date rape drugs
have been used
Also, young women need to be extremely alert,
whenever they are attending any campus function,
or when they are at bars or lounges where alcohol
and other types of beverages are served. Some
suggestions include:
Alcohol and Drugs
- Watch your consumption of alcoholic beverages,
especially when other people are drinking.
- Do not put yourself at risk by drinking
enough alcohol to become intoxicated.
- Be careful about accepting alcoholic beverages
from someone you do not know or trust.
- Do not accept drinks from an open container.
- Never leave your drink unattended.
- Never share or exchange drinks.
- Do not drink from a punch bowl.
- If you are at the bar, monitor how your
drink is being prepared.
- Buy bar drinks in bottles, if possible,
because they are harder to tamper with than
wide-mouth glasses.
Behaviors to Follow After Being a Victim
of Rape
Unfortunately, although women try to be alert
to their surroundings and to the various male
friends or lovers they may know, they can still
become victims of acquaintance rape. Even though
the rape victim is extremely traumatized and
emotionally distraught, it is important that
she rationally try to follow some procedures
in order to preserve CRITICAL evidence, should
she decide to press charges. Physical specimens
collected soon after the sexual assault will
be valuable evidence. Therefore, some suggestions
include:
- do not shower, bathe, wash, douche, or attempt
to clean yourself
- do not change your clothes
- do not urinate, as traces of drugs can
be found in urine
- if you drank from a glass or can, take
it with you, along with the offender's glass
Medical Attention
Acquaintance rape is a serious violation of
every woman's personal rights, and it causes
her to experience severe emotional as well as
physical injuries. The young woman should immediately
go to a hospital emergency room or the Campus
Health Center. At the medical facility, not
only will she be treated for her injuries, examined
for venereal diseases, AIDS, and pregnancy,
but valuable physical specimens and evidence
will be collected in order to insure a successful
prosecution of the offender.
Reporting Acquaintance Rape
Acquaintance rape, unfortunately, is all too
often an underreported crime. In a college survey,
only one out of twenty-five women reported a
sexual assault (U.S.D.O.J., 1995). Rape is considered
to be the most underreported violent crime in
our nation (U.S. Bureau of Justice, 1997). In
particular, with acquaintance rape, because
the victim and offender are known to each other,
the victim finds it more difficult to accuse
the perpetrator. It is much easier for a rape
victim to blame a stranger than a known attacker.
There are several reasons that rape victims
give for not reporting acquaintance rape.
- confusion as to whether consent was given,
because of the trusting relationship with
the offender
- fear of further injury or retaliation from
the offender
- fear of police scrutiny and judgment of
the victim's behavior, credibility and history
- fear of facing the reactions of family
and friends, husbands or possible lovers
- self blame-she may irrationally believe
that she did not do all she could to prevent
the rape
- feeling several overwhelming emotions,
such as shame, humiliation, embarrassment
and degradation
The Federal Bureau of Investigators legal definition
is "carnal knowledge of a female forcibly
and against her consent" (U.S.D.O.J., 1995).
Women need to understand that being pressured
by someone into having sexual activity with
him, even if he is someone she knows, it is
still rape, a very serious crime. Also, a woman
who is intoxicated, either by alcohol and/or
drugs, is not considered to have given "legal
consent" to any form of sexual activity.
It is imperative that women report acquaintance
rape, not only to begin the healing process,
but it lessens the chances of other women being
victimized. Rapists rarely attack only one woman.
If they are not caught and successfully prosecuted
and punished, they will continue to rape. By
reporting the offender to the police and the
campus authorities, the rape pattern could be
broken. It is also very important that the acquaintance
rape victim have someone who will be comforting
and supportive, accompany her to the police
station, where she will be assisted in filing
a police report.
Counseling
Even if the rape victim does not report the
rape to the police, it is still critical for
her to receive counseling, preferably by a trained
rape crisis counselor at the university's counseling
center or a mental health facility. Many victims
suffer serious emotional damage after a rape.
Victims have been diagnosed with Rape Trauma
Syndrome and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The rape victim displays a variety of symptoms
such as: self-blame, anxiety, humiliation, guilt,
depression, shame, anger, nightmares, and fear
for their personal safety. Counseling and psychological
therapy are essential to the recovery process
for all acquaintance rape victims.
References
(1.) Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin,
National Crime Victimization Survey, U.S. Department
of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, 1996
(2.) U.S. Department of Justice, Preventing
Violence Against Women, Washington, D.C., June
1995; 14:77, 78.
(3.) National Institute of Justice Centers
for Disease Control & Prevention, Incidence
& Consequences of Violence against Women:
Funding from the National Violence Against Women
Survey, November 1998.
(4.) Report of Felony Sentence in State Courts
and Bureau of Justice, 1992.
(5.) United States Department of Justice, Violence
Against Women: Estimate from Redesigned Survey.
Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report,
August 1995.
(6.) Unites States Department of Justice Statistics,
Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime
Victimization Survey. Criminal Victimization
1996: Changes 1995-96 Week Trends, 199396, November
1997.
FELICIA F. ROMEO, ED.D., PSY.D. Clinical
Psychologist Professor Florida Atlantic University
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