What is Acquaintance Rape?
The word "rape" often conjures up images of dangerous strangers lurking in dark alleys. However, statistics indicate that you are more likely to be assaulted by someone you know-a friend, date, classmate, neighbor, or relative. "Date Rape" or "Acquaintance Rape" (also Known as "Non-stranger Rape") happens when someone the victim knows insists on sexual activity, will not take no for an answer and ultimately forces sex by making threats or overpowering the victim. Acquaintance rape is very traumatic because a betrayal or trust is involved.
- Non-stranger rape is just as much of a crime as a sexual assault committed by a stranger.
- Acquaintance rape is more common than left-handedness, hear attacks or alcoholism.
- According to the 2003 Crime Victimization Survey (U.S. Department of Justice), 70 Percent of all victims are raped by someone they know- and 93 percent of juvenile sexual assault victims knew their attacker (Bureau of justice Statistics, 2000).
- The majority of victims are between 15 and 25 years old.
- Effects on a victim are long-term and can leave a young person's life ripped apart.
- Among college women, nine of ten offenders in attempted or completed rapes were known to the victim. Most often, an ex-boyfriend, classmate, friend, acquaintance or co-worker sexually victimized the women.
- only five percent of date rapes are ever reported.
- Acquaintance rape often results from misunderstood sex role behaviors and/or communication styles. if you think you are getting mixed messages, ask.
- Often perpetrators don't feel they have done anything wrong. They may have ideas such as, "She really wanted it, but just didn't want to admit it,""Girls say no when they really mean yes,""She wouldn't have gone out with me if she didn't intend to have sex," or "I deserved something for spending all of that money on her."
- Forcing unwanted sex on someone is a serious crime no matter how the person dresses or acts. If a person says "No" or "Stop" it means stop.
- Even if a person consented to engage in some sexual activity it does not automatically imply consent to all sexual activity.
- It is a criminal offense to deliberately use alcohol to subdue someone in order to engage in non-consensual sex. Although alcohol does not give the offender an excuse to commit a sex crime, it can make the offender and/or the victim feel more relaxed, thus placing them in a situation that they normally would avoid.
- Drugs and alcohol are the number one factor that leads to non-stranger rape. many victims say that their ability to react was impaired because they were drinking or taking drugs, or that their date had been drinking and became sexually aggressive.
- Acquaintance rape on college campuses involves male perpetrators under the influence of alcohol or drugs 75 percent of the time. over 50 percent of women victims reported being intoxicated or "mildly buzzed."
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