No Means No Sexual assault has been an issue this country and almost every other has faced for decades. Since the 1700s, the term date rape has been around to distinguish between rape by a stranger and rape by an acquaintance. Alcohol and drugs are commonly used in date rapes to make the victim incapacitated and therefore an easier target. There are many drugs out there that are usedto commit date rapes. Three of the most known are roofies, GHB, and ketamine. The refusaland dismissive response to “no” is what has lead to the problem the nation faces of date rape. Non-consensual means that it is without agreement: rape is a non-consensual sexual act. The definition of date rape is “an unwanted sex act forced on a person by someone he or she knows” (Student Resources in Context, 2014, para. 1). With date rape, a person could have the act forced on them, or be incapacitated and unable to give consent in the right state of mind. Forced is more likely to happen by a stranger or ex-dating partner, while incapacitated would more likely be a friend or acquaintance. 84 percent of female victims of date rape know their assailant (DeVaron, 2011). Forced rapes usually happen between noon and midnight, while incapacitated are more likely to occur from midnight …show more content…
To avoid the cry of rape, one should always make sure their sexual parter is in complete agreement to the act. Never assume a sexual partner is ready or willing. No always means no, and any other phrase that is similar and shows unwillingness. On the other hand, to avoid being a victim, “no” should always be stated in a clean, serious tone. “No” is used by many to express feelings or opinion. The word “no” means a denial or refusal. An uncountable amount of people have used this word in one way, phrase, or another, to give their disapproval or unwillingness to sex (The White House Council on Women and Girls,
Legally, one might wonder how sexual assault is defined. According to Massachusetts State law, there are two major categories of sexual assault against adults. One of these is rape, and the other is indecent assault and battery. Rape is defined as “sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse with a person and compels such person to submit by force and against his/her will, or compels such person to submit by threat of bodily injury.” Rape and attempted rape are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
What is consent? Consent is a willing agreement that exist between sober, non-coerced, and mentally capable adults when engaging in activities together. Consent is given or taken away at any time. Just because a person had consent in the past does not mean they have it in the future. This is a very important concept and requirement that must be established within any sexual relationship. It is absolutely critical to understand if your partner does not expressly give their consent and commit a sexual act upon them, you have sexually assaulted that
When people think about rape, they usually think of a stranger with a knife hiding in the bushes. He waits for a woman to walk by and then attacks. But that is not the only kind of rape. The majority of victims are raped by individuals they know or acquaintances. 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. This kind of rape is recognized as rape in courtrooms, where simple rape is dismissed as not real rape and it is more common that the offender will be found not guilty.
With one in five college students experiencing sexual assault during their college career who wouldn’t be afraid? This remains especially true for young women between the ages of 18-24 (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While a woman’s freshman and sophomore year of college are when she is at a most risk for assault, it can happen at any time. According to Robin Gray in the article on sexual assault statistics, “between 20% and 25% of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career,” (Gray). At Northwest Missouri State University for the 2016-2017 academic year there are 5,618 undergraduate students enrolled. With the ratio of male to female students being 44% to 56%, there are about 3,147 female students. In terms of the statistics estimated by Gray, 630-787 of the female student population at Northwest Missouri State will experience rape during their college career (“Northwest Missouri State University”). This is a disturbingly large figure. Women are not the only ones susceptible to these acts, but men are too. It is said about “10%” of all sexual assault cases involve male victims (“The Realities of Sexual Assault”). While this number is slightly lower for men it is often believed that male victims of sexual assault do not often report their crime due to the social stigma surrounding their assault. Men may feel
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
While it is popularly associated that rape involves a kidnapping of some type by a criminal that the victim has never come in contact with before, this belief has been disproved over the years by the number of cases of acquainted rape, also known as date rape. Date rape is forced or coerced sex between partners, dates, friends, friends of friends, or general acquaintances, often with the illegal use of drugs to alter the state of mind of the victim. Recent statistics show that the most common form of rape is date rape, which comprises 78 percent of all rapes. Rape itself is a very common occurrence, with one in four girls falling victim to an attempt before they are 25 and three out of five of these rapes occurring before the victim has reached eighteen. Not to be forgotten, men as well can be and have been sexually taken advantage of without their consent, either by other men or, in limited cases, women.
Early date rape is the second type of acquaintance rape. Since the beginning date rape is within n the first few days, then early date rape is after several dates. This is still way before sex has been discussed. A major cause of this form if also miscommunication. One common reason for miscommunication is the "rape myths" of our society. Rape myths are statements such as: "She deserved to get raped because that outfit was way too tight," or "She wanted to have sex because she went up to that guy's room. How many girls do you know that go up to a room just to talk?" Men who believe these myths might misread some of the women's signals and not take no for an answer. However, miscommunication probably is not the only problem this early in the relationship.
“Most sexual assaults are committed by an acquaintance or date. Approximately 75% of all rapes are date or acquaintance rapes. Most of these crimes either go unrecognized, unreported, unsolved, or unproven” (“The Hard Facts). Date rape is a terrible event and can happen in several ways, but it can be prevented. It can happen when someone is forced to have sex without consent on a date or at a party or when the attacker uses any type of abuse drugs in order to “spike” the victim’s drink and then commit the act of sexual assault; but how to prevent date rape is to recognize what it is and the dangers of it, to be cautious of all surroundings, to identify specific behaviors, and to be careful of date rape drugs.
It was once acceptable for men to have full control over women, declaring when they will marry and when they will have children. However, over the past centuries, women have established a place in society, proving themselves much more than someone's property. This is why the word “rape” today is not taken lightly. According to findlaw.com, “Rape generally refers to non-consensual sexual intercourse that is committed by physical force, threat of injury, or other duress.” When one does not give consent to sex, it is considered a felony, possibly putting the rapist in jail. Contrary to sexual assault, “Sex is reified as penile-vaginal intercourse while an extremely diverse group of pleasurable and sexually stimulating activities are dismissively relegated to the category of foreplay...” (Reinholtz, Muehlenhard, Phelps, & Satterfield, 1995.) Although consented sexual intercourse is much more out in the open and accepted in society, the problem of rape is still very relevant behind the scenes.
Now that you know what date rape is, I 'll talk about what common drugs are used in date rape.
Sex without consent defines rape and sexual assault. Alcohol impairs judgment, and intoxicated individuals are not in the right frame of mind to make decisions regarding sex and sexual contact. Dr. Abbey Antonia explains that, “Intoxication limits one’s ability to consider the long-term negative consequences of behavior because it limits one’s focus to short-term immediate cues” (Abbey, 122). In cases where both parties are intoxicated, alcohol often influences male perpetrators to feel less inhibited, more powerful, aggressive, and sexually aroused. Perpetrators feel comfortable raping a woman because intoxication from alcohol allows them to focus on their own sexual pleasure, while ignoring the victim’s refusal and pain. The effects of alcohol make it easier for perpetrators to ignore the word, “No,” and to force sex on an unconsenting partner. In addition, the effects of alcohol may cause males to misinterpret a woman’s politeness or friendliness as a sign of flirtation and sexual interest. “In the case of sexual assault, a man may feel his aggressiveness is justified if he believes his partner encouraged his sexual interest and that once led on, a man has a right to sex” (Abbey, 122). However, this is never the case. A woman’s behavior, dress, or alcohol consumption is never an indicator of sexual desire or
There is no one direct cause of date rape. Although there are usually three key elements involved, socialization, miscommunication, and/or changing sexual mores. In a general sense, traditional male and female roles in society are part of the problem. Men are taught at a very early age to be aggressors; they participate in aggressive team sports, are encouraged to be competitive, not to give up, to keep on trying. They are encouraged to have strong sexual feelings and to experiment with their sexual satisfaction as a part of their masculinity. This environment which encourages men to be competitive and get what they want often leads to a belief in the "right to have sex." Women on the other hand are socialized to be more passive, dependent,...