Date rape is a serious problem throughout the world. In order to discuss date rape, the drugs involved in date rape, and drug facilitated sexual assault, a person must know what those terms mean and how they can be used. Date rape is defined simply as “the crime of forcing someone you know to have sex with you, especially while on a date”. Victims of date rape are usually on a date with rapist. Date rape is also known as acquaintance rape. Acquaintance rape is “rape committed by someone known to the victim”. When a victim knows their date, they are less likely to suspect they will be raped (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The term date rape implies that there is a relationship, usually romantic, between the victim and the rapist. This is one of
A date rape drug is “a drug (as GHB) administered surreptitiously (as in a drink) to induce an unconscious or sedated state in a potential date rape victim” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). Date rape drugs are also called predator drugs. A predator drug is defined as “any drug that is an incapacitating agent which, when administered to another person, incapacitates the person and renders them vulnerable to a drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA), including rape.” These drugs are commonly added to alcohol without the victim’s knowledge. While the victim is consuming the alcohol voluntarily, they are involuntarily consuming the date rape or predator drug. Alcohol is considered to be a recreational drug, making it legal to consume, although the drugs being consumed with it, without the knowledge of the victim, are illegal. Rohypnol, ketamine, and gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) are all common date rape drugs (Wikipedia, n.d.). “Intoxication due to alcohol or other drugs is often associated with date rape through the victim’s diminished capacity and inability to consent, the rapist’s diminished inhibition, or a combination of both.” Date rape drugs are extremely common among young people such as students in college. The drugs might be snuck into the drink, alcoholic or not, while the victim isn’t looking. Being colorless and odorless the drugs can be hard to detect. Date rape drugs can cause blackouts, memory loss, and paralysis, all of which makes the victim more susceptible to rape (Britannica,
Drugging someone in order to pleasure yourself could potentially put you in prison for 20 years. Rohypnol or “roofies” are known as the date rape drug on college campuses. Once rohypnol is slipped into a drink, they can’t be smelled and they dissolve almost immediately. (Schaffner) Gamma hydroxybutyric acid or GBA is a very common drug also. This drug causes drowsiness, hallucinations, confusion, memory loss, and numbing of the body. Rapists commonly use this drug because it's easily purchased on campus and this drug is very cheap. The last most common date rape drug is known as ketamine. Ketamine happens to be a horse or large cat tranquilizer that can be put in a drink or can be disguised as other drugs. Since ketamine is a tranquilizer, when it’s abused by humans, it causes them to become severely confused and then the person is put into a short coma depending on how much is taken.
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a depressant that affects the central nervous system. It was first created in the 1920’s and was under development as an anesthetic agent in the 1960’s. GHB is produced naturally in the human body in very small amounts, but its purpose or function is unclear. The drug came on the scene recently as a club drug at all-night dance parties and raves. GHB causes both an intense, euphoric high and sometimes it even causes hallucinations. GHB has caused many young people to require emergency medical care. Because the liquid is odorless and colorless, GHB diluted in drinks is virtually undetectable and sometimes is slipped unknowingly into someone else's drinks. This is why the drug got the nickname of the “date rape drug” because would-be rapists would slip the drug into an unsuspecting victim’s glass and then take advantage of their compromised state.
It is also not new to slip something into somebody's drink to incapacitate her. In the mid-1990s law enforcement agencies began to see a pattern of women having been surreptitiously drugged for the purpose of sexual assault and rape, particularly through the use of date rape drugs: odorless, tasteless incapacitating drugs that may produce anterograde amnesia. The female victim, typically enjoying an alcoholic drink in a relaxed environment, would find herself suddenly losing awareness of her surroundings. When she regained consciousness, hours later, she was often in a different location, with signs that she had been sexually interfered with, such as missing or disarranged clothing, bruises, the presence of semen, or vaginal or anal soreness. She felt after-effects of substance use such as wooziness, weakness or confusion, but she may had little or no memory of what had happened to her (Dr.Min Zhou).”
The following morning is a dreadful, long one that stays with you forever. The memories in your mind keep crawling up every night when you fall asleep. You keep asking yourself, “Why did it happen to me? What did I do wrong?” Yet no answer comes to mind, all that you can think of is being violated, being misled for a simple task-rape. Why does it happen to us? What do the men see when the door is opened and a gorgeous women stands in front of their eyes. The mind collapses trying to find a solution to the problem. It's like having an exam and the only way for you to score is to cheat. So all girls are just scores guys try to push themselves upon? The mind grows blank and the human body works with sexual instinct. Date rape is one of those things that one man can't find a proper answer for. There are so many possibilities that one might think of as the cause of the problem. Which one is the right one? Is there one specific answer that is physiologically correct? No. Everyone has his or her own opinion, whether it is from experience or from common knowledge. Date rape is mainly cased by the in-proper behavior of the rapist. A man who can rape a woman has obviously been brought up in an uncomfortable, improper raised environment.
This rape is known as “acquaintance rape” or “date rape.” Eighty percent of all rapes are, in fact, acquaintance rapes. This kind of rape happens when a man and a woman go out on a date together. The man forces the woman to have sex with him when she does not want to. Also called simple rape, which differs from real rape, because real rape involves weapons, violence and attackers.
The date rape drug rohypnol, otherwise known as “roofies” is a major issue today on college campuses everywhere. This drug is an illegal drug, which is an accomplice to many rapes occurring everywhere around the country. Assailants dissolve a few tablets of roofies in a drink and give it to an unaware victim. The victim drinks the contents and, within twenty to thirty minutes, begins to feel the effects of the drug. Among other effects, roofies is a sedative and muscle relaxant, and causes amnesia. (Acute Care) When used with alcohol or other drugs, the effects are even more rapid. Assailants often will rape or sexually assault the victim once they have become affected by the drug since the unconscious victims will not be able to put up a fight. Victims may also wake up in an unfamiliar or dangerous situation after the drug loses its effect. (undergrad)
The rapist could forcibly make the victim have sex or do other types of sexual activity with them. This type is the most similar to the “rape stereotype,” but is still committed by someone the victim knows. The perpetrator can also use different types of drugs to inebriate the victim (Hammond). One drug most commonly used is alcohol, because it is the easiest for people to get their hands on. With alcohol, the assaulter might not even have to drug the victim themselves. If a person is already severely inebriated, then all they have to do is get the victim alone much of the time. However, the perpetrator may also have the goal of getting the victim drunk (Pumphrey). They may pressure the victim to keep drinking, even when they know they are past their limit. Other types of drugs can also be used to lure victims into having sex or make them unconscious. Gamma-hydroxybutrate, also known as GHB, is one drug used for this purpose. GHB can lead to hallucinations, confusion, nausea, and memory loss which is why people with the intentions of assaulting teens and other people use it (Hallikeri). Another drug used is Ketamine which is a medication often used with anesthesia. It helps start and maintain the effects of it. Ketamine can sometimes lead to confusion, dizziness, fainting, as well as tiredness and weakness (Dodich). This makes it a perfect drug for an assaulter looking to rape someone they
Sexual assault is a problem that affects many students in colleges. Sexual assault is defined as “any unwanted contact” (6) performed on “an unwilling victim, without consent” (2). This means anything from touching to completed rape. Without consent means that “vigorous efforts were made to avoid sexual contact” (2). Physical symptoms of sexual assault can tamper with the victim’s quality of life. It can be pelvic pain, migraines, and even disability that can prevent a victim from working. There are over 32,000 pregnancies a year that are a result of completed rape, but problems with pregnancy can also be a result of sexual assault. In addition to these effects, women who experience this assault are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases (2).
Lawyer, S., Resnick, H., Bakanic, V., Burkett, T., & Kilpatrick, D. (2010). Forcible, drug-facilitated, and incapacitated rape and sexual assault among undergraduate women. Journal of American College Health, 58(5). 453.
This source includes a unique study on the different perceptions of date rape according to the type of date and how expensive it was. This study is based on the principles of sexual social exchange theory as it is applied to current western dating traditions. According to this theory, men pay for dates, and women are expected to reciprocate with sexual favors.
Around college campuses there are many instances where women find themselves the victims of spiked drinks and sexual assault. On the weekends at parties, many women innocently drink without the intention of blacking out. However, “date rape” drugs have become more common making a horrible possibility, reality. Many women face the challenge of being drugged when going to party because of men who want to take advantage of women.
Rape is one of the most intimate crimes in the world. According to nolo.com legal encyclopedia rape in nonconsensual sexual intercourse that is forced upon someone that is not wanted. Statutory rape is when a person disregards the under 18 consent law and forcefully has sex with them. According to ular.edu there are many different types of rape such as anger, power, sadistic, stranger, acquaintance, and martial rapes. These different groups show that rape can happen to anyone at any time.
Sexual assault is a term that is used interchangeably with the word rape. The decision on whether or not to use the term rape or sexual assault is made by a state’s jurisdiction. Sexual assault is more readily used in an attempt to be more gender neutral (National Victim Center). Sexual assault can be most easily described as forced or unconsentual sexual intercourse. The individual that is performing these acts on the victim may either be a stranger or an acquaintance. In 1994, 64.2 percent of all rapes were committed by someone the offender had previously known (Ringel, 1997). Regardless, this type of crime can have extreme effects on the victim.
Acquaintance rape is sometimes referred to as date rape. Acquaintance rape is unwanted sexual intercourse done to the victim by a known person of the victim. This form of rape is most common among teenagers and young adults. A 1982 study of reported rapes in the US of teenagers showed that 92% knew their attackers. Similar to marital rape the victim knows the attacker. Unlike marital rape though, the attack can occur at parties or public places and often involve the use of drugs and Alcohol.