According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies (2012) sexual assault remains one of the most unreported crimes and still remains one of the highest causes of abuse to women. This is the case for Mrs Valdez, a 36 year old mother of three, who was sexually assaulted after being drugged with rohypnol whist celebrating her birthday with friends and family. The increasing prevalence of sexual assault involving drugs, nursing management and communication strategies, procedures for collecting evidence and potential mental health implications of PTSD will discussed and addressed in this essay. The Prevalence of Drugs in Sexual Assault Studies have found there to be an increasing prevalence in the use of drugs in sexual assault. Alcohol and other drugs are being used as weapons to facilitate sexual assault in Australia and in other countries. This is done by the undetected ‘spiking’ of the victim’s drinks in order to incapacitate them, this is typically done at a bar or party (Sturman 2000). Drugs misused this way include prescription drugs such as Rohypnol, which is prescribed in Australia for insomnia, as well as illegal drugs such as GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate), a steroid used by body builders (Sturman 2000). The Australian Bureau of Statistics (2005) says 1.6% (126,100) of women experienced an incident of sexual violence. Of those women 81% (101,600) experienced an incident of sexual assault and 28% (34,900) experienced a threat of sexual assault. 22% (22,100) of women had experienced sexual assault by a stranger in the most recent incident, 21% (21,500) by a previous partner, 39% (39,700) by a family member or friend and 32% (32,500) by another known person (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2005). It was found in a study by... ... middle of paper ... ...://nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd/what-are-the-symptoms-of-ptsd.shtml>. Pandora’s Project 2009, PTSD & Art Therapy, viewed 31 March 2012, . Sexual Assault Center for Pierce County 2012, Sexual Assault Impact on Others: Secondary Victims, viewed 31 March 2012, b_pages/friends.htm>. Smith, M & Segal, J 2011, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), viewed 31 March 2012, tment.htm>. Sturman, P 2000, Drug assisted sexual assault; A study for the Home Office under The Police Research Award Scheme, viewed 31 March 2012, ac.uk/old-site/DRUGS/pdf/drugrape.pdf>. Tiziani, A 2009, Harvard’s Nursing Guide to Drugs, 8th edn, Elsevier, NSW.
The trial of 19 year old Owen Laurie has brought into light the alarming rate in which Sexual assault is rising. The issue that rages on in Colleges is said to be making its way to high schools and primary school. In a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Division of Violence Prevention, 19% of Undergraduate women experienced
Gender is predominating in the criminal justice system and sexual assault exemplifies the contrast found between the traditional and non-traditional justice systems employed over time. Sexual assault poses a social threat to all aspects of community, spreading insecurity in 43400 victims across Australia and 13300 victims in NSW alone as indicated in the recent Australian Bureau of Statistics Crime Victimisation Report. (ABS 2011, p. 40) There has also been an increase of sexual assault by 51% since 1995 with an average of 4% every year. (ABS 2010) Another major issue within the boundaries of sexual assault is that it holds one...
Sexual assault is the act of sexual intercourse without consent of the other person according to New South Wales Consolidation Act of 1900 (Austlii 2011) and is also described by the Australian Standard Offence Classification as ‘non-consensual’ acts or intents of sexual nature (ASOC 2008, p. 31) has become one of the most predominate crimes creating social harm in Australia. Social harm is defined as the negative influence through consequences impacting from the individual to the living conditions of the surrounding public (Cain & Howe 2008, p. 26). Sexual assault poses a social threat to all aspects of community, spreading insecurity in the 9000 victims across Australia and 1900 victims in NSW alone as indicated in the Australian Bureau of Statistics Crime Victimisation Report (ABS 2011, p. 40). This is supported by the victimization rate of all sexually assaulted victims between ages 10 to 14 being 4 times greater than all the other age groups (ABS 2010). Another major issue within the boundaries of sexual assault is that it holds one of the lowest prosecution rates with only 1 in 10 incidents able to prosecute the offender as guilty (Fitzgerald 2006, Pg. 1). The abundance of statistics and reports conducted all imply that sexual assault is still a predominate issue of crime within Australia.
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).”
On the article “On a Date Rape” by Camille Paglia, creates a controversy discussion about how women have reached freedom throughout the years and blames young feminist for being “over privileged”. Her belief is that women in general misuse the social freedom she so virtuously fought for. She also mentioned that her generation was aware of the risk that they were taking, while today’s generation does not. However, she blames any young lady who finds herself into a perilous situation for the tragedy that follows; moreover, Paglia’s article is unreliable due to the abuse of several fallacies such as hasty generalization, false analogy, false cause, poising well, false dilemma, slippery slope, as well as straw men.
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.
According to the authors of “Enhancing Care and Advocacy for Sexual Assault Survivors on Canadian Campuses”, “Sexual assault has immediate and long-term health consequences for victims including suicide, HIV infection, depression, and social isolation,” (Quinlan, Clarke, and Miller). Another common side effect these victims face is post-traumatic stress disorder. Someone experiencing PTSD may have random outburst of anger, have trouble concentrating on day to day tasks, or may even have flashbacks of their attack. These consequences make it hard for victims to get back into the normal routine of everyday life (“Effects of Sexual Assault”). In a case at Amherst College a young women named Angie Epifano faced many of these consequences after she was raped by an acquaintance in one of the college’s dormitories. While immediately choosing to ignore what had happened to her Epifano soon became an emotional wreck. Before the attack Epifano had believed herself to be an extremely strong and independent individual. In an article done on Epifano’s story she stated “Everything I had believed myself to be was gone in 30 minutes,” (Epifano). Sexual assault takes away a piece of someone. With their hopes and dreams clouded by the tragedy they have endured, victims face a lifetime of
Sexual assault is defined as a type of behaviour that occurs without explicit consent from the recipient and under sexual assault come various categories such as sexual activities as forces sexual intercourse, incest, fondling, attempted rape and more (Justice.gov. 2017). People often become victims of sexual assault by someone they know and trust (Mason & Lodrick, 2013) which is conflicting to the public’s perception and beliefs that offenders are strangers. Women are the main victims for sexual assault and are 5 times more likely to have been a victim of sexual assault from a male (Wright, 2017, p. 93). Men are victims of sexual assault however only 0.7% of men, compared to 3.2% of women, experience some form of sexual assault which highlights how vulnerable women are compared to men. Sexual assault is publicised and exposed in the media, however is often
"Statistics about Sexual Assault and College Campuses." Statistics about Sexual Assault. Sarah Lawrence College, n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
There is limited research on the prevalence of psychological and psychiatric history of sexual assault victims, much less preventive interventions addressing their vulnerability to sexual assault. However, findings from the few research are enough to reason for further inquiry into the connection. Campbell, Keegan, Cybulska, and Forster (2007) found that of the 121 female patient...
Resik, P. A. (1993). Sexuality, substance use, and susceptibility to victimization. Journal on interpersonal Violence, 23, 1730-1746.
The term “statutory rape” is used when the government considers people under a certain age to be unable to give consent to sex and therefore consider sexual contact with them to be a rape. The age at which individuals are considered to give consent is called the age of consent. The age of consent can ranging from thirteen to twenty-one, depending on the limits set by each state in accordance with local standards of morality. Even sex that violates the age-of-consent laws but is neither violent nor physically forced is described as statutory rape. In most jurisdictions, the expressions “under-age sex” or “sex with a minor” are more commonly used.
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.
Since rape is a sensitive issue, there are limited options that the social worker could take. One option would be to respect the self-determination of Rose to not discuss the assault again despite the fact she is showing poor mental health. By doing this, the social worker is not fulfilling her obligation to address client’s wellbeing. The second option would be to disclose the assault to her parents in an effort to encourage Rose to seek help. This, though, does not guarantee that Rose will be willing to seek help. In fact, telling her parents might harm Rose more as it is unknown how her parents will react. She may also not be ready for her parents to know. In addition, reporting to her parents can be seen as a betrayal