Date rape

A consummated rape is an act of psychologically coercing or physically forcing another person to engage in sexual intercourse. Intercourse is an act of vaginal, oral, or anal penetration of the offender, as well as the act of penetrating any foreign object to the aforesaid body parts. Date rape takes place when one person compels another person to have sexual intercourse. The distinction between date rape and rape is that in the former, the victim agreed to hang out with the assailant; and possibly the victim even went out with the assailant more than once. This crime is a felony offence, since date rape is still considered rape.

When people imagine rape, they might regard the situation of a stranger coming from an indistinguishable place and sexually attacking another individual. But it is not only strangers who perpetrate rape. In fact, approximately half of all persons who are raped recognize the person who assaulted them (Kids Health, 2006). Most acquaintances, friendships, and dates are often regarded as safe and harmless. But sadly, on some occasion, acts of violence do take place. When forced sex happens between two persons who are already acquainted with each other, the violence is identified as acquaintance rape or date rape.

Even if the two people are acquainted with each other very well, and even if they previously had sexual intercourse or were intimately related, a person has the authority to compel a sexual act on the other person in opposition to his or her will. Causes Date rape usually takes place when a woman finds herself alone with a man, either in his apartment, house, and room or even inside his car; thus resulting to a situation that makes her very vulnerable. Date rapes can frequently happen when there are other people relatively close by, such as parties.

There could be an entire crowd of people in the adjacent room, unaware to what was happening. Clearly, the criminal act happens, and it is not simple to determine the exact causes. Alcohol is frequently associated in occurrences of date rapes since it can dull common sense, loosen self-consciousness, and for a number of individuals, it permits hostile tendencies to emerge (Kids Health, 2006). Drug as well play a key role in date rape, since drugs like rohypnol, ketamine, and gamma-hydroxybutyrate can be effortlessly mixed in drinks to make a person lose consciousness and not recall things that have taken place (Kids Health, 2006).

When an innocent female is forced to become under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the victim gets sedated and sleepy thus making her unable to revoke sex. If a person is on drugs or has had too much to drink they cannot assent to sex; thus having sex with them is considered legally as rape. Alcohol is involved in more than 1 out of 3 rapes (About. com, 2008); as an overwhelming 80 percent of rapists had been drinking prior to their perpetration of the criminal act (Surive. Org, 2000).

Data also confirm that 55 percent of all victims of date rape were drunk or had been drinking when raped (Surive. Org, 2000). Intoxication is clearly one of the major areas of confusion on the topic of date rape. It does not matter whether the perpetrator recognized that the victim was intoxicated, and it does not matter if the perpetrator were as well intoxicated, all that matters is that she was not in a mindset to consent to the sexual acts and for that reason, the sexual intercourse is considered rape.

Further, a person could still be charged with rape if she is able to prove that she was high or drunk at the time of the act was committed, even if the perpetrator had no idea at that instant that the victim was intoxicated or high (Hardcastle, 2008, p. 2). Sometimes, date rape can also happen due to mixed signals externalized by two individuals. A woman may be acting friendly towards a man, and the man in response understands this as the woman presenting him candidly that she wants sex.

Some men may believe that if they have taken a woman out for meal, spent money on her, or took her to the cinema for instance, having sex with her is his way of being repaid by the female, not considering of what she may feel. Other men may also consider that just because they are aware that a woman has been sexually active with some other guy, she will be agreeable to have sex with other men. Further, evidence suggests that viewing of violent pornography desensitizes people to carry out rape.

This is believed to be the fundamental building block in the socialization of several rapists (Parrot, 1998, p. 19). A milder form of violent behavior may be seen in R-rated movies and music videos that grant access to adolescent audiences. Films of this nature add force to innocent person’s sexual aggression. Statistics According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the United States Department of Justice, approximately, 28 percent of rape victims are raped by boyfriends or husbands, 35 percent by acquaintances, and 5 percent by other relatives (Paralumun New Age Village, n. d. ).

Approximately 60 percent of college-aged males reported that they would use force in their sexual relations with women if they were sure they would not get caught (Duhaime, 2007). On the other hand, in an American magazine, a research poll shows that one in every twelve men interviewed acknowledged to having compelled a woman to have sexual intercourse or made an effort to force a woman to have intercourse through coercion or physical force; plainly speaking, they admitted to their previous acts of attempted rape or rape (Surive. Org, 2000).

Survey revealed that in the United States, 500, 000 women annually reported sexual assaults and rapes (Bachman, 1995, p. 1). Yet according to most estimates, 80 to 90 percent of rapes are not reported to the police (About. com, 2008). Acquaintances or friends of the victims perpetrated more than half of these sexual assaults and rapes. Women are less expected to be victimized by strangers than by identified offenders. Date rape is the most common form of rape as it comprises 78 percent in all cases of rapes (Hardcastle, 2008).

Date rape, whether consummated or attempted rape, is expected to affect 1 in every 4 girls before they reach the age of 25, and 3 out of 5 rapes taking place before a women reaches 18 years old (Hardcastle, 2008). Effects The effects of date rape is very disturbing and people who fall victim of such crime may or may not be able to declare that they were raped, or may seek out medical assistance for a different complaint. It may be common to hear a number of people assert that those who have been raped were in some way soliciting for it because of the manner they acted or the clothes they wore.

Yet such opinion is grossly erroneous since the person who is raped is not to be held responsible. Rape is all the time the culpability of the rapist, and that is the case as well when two people are in an intimate relationship or dating. A person is not obliged to have sex to another person; and if sex is forced against the person’s will, that is nothing less than rape. Rape is both physically damaging and emotionally traumatic to the victim. Rape, like any other assaults, carries with it several long-term and profound effects.

Physically, date rape can result to cuts, bruises, broken bones, and other injuries from violent acts; injuries to the genitals or anus; unwanted pregnancy; and being exposed to infections that can be passed on through sex, including syphilis, gonorrhoea, herpes and AIDS (Cleveland Clinic, n. d. ). Some emotional tactics include; threats to not like the person, threats to reputation, name calling, saying you “ really want it” or “ brought it on”, threats to say the person did it even if the person did not, and threats of break up (Hardcastle, 2008).

A number of victims are unable to entirely recover emotionally from a rape. Posttraumatic stress disorder is an ordinary complication in date rapes. Symptoms include social withdrawal, recurrent nightmares, numbing of emotions, memories of the event, depression, and anxiety (About. com, 2008). Study revealed that more than 50 percent of rape victims have some trouble in re-entering the dating scene (About. com, 2008). Further, rape may degenerate any pre-existing psychiatric disorders, such as depression, suicidal behaviors, as well as becoming a substance abuser or a habitual substance abuser.

Some victims find long-term counseling helpful in dealing with their anxiety, depression, fear, guilt, worthlessness and other emotions. Other victims obtain therapies by joining support groups. Overall, recovery from rape includes the reorganization phase and the acute phase; and group psychotherapy with other rape victims has been proven to be the most effective treatment for rape victims (About. com, 2008). Solutions Date rape is not a private concern but a public one, which distresses people for the reason that it deals with the fundamental issue of the manner in which humans interrelate.

Thus, the chief sponsor of the “ Violence Against Women Act of 1994,” Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. , introduced in 1998 a legislation that expanded and strengthened the original law (Parrot, 1998, p. 7). The expanded legislation aims the possession of “ date rape” drugs, particularly rohypnol to be penalized with maximum federal penalties. Accordingly, one of the useful tactict to help resolve the problem is to inform the public regarding the laws, particularly about rape laws. Providing and promoting a safe environment and legally conscious citizens is therefore paramount.

However, one of the most upsetting characteristics of date rapes is how many still go unreported. The most common reasons given by women for not reporting the crime are the fear of reprisal from the assailant and the belief that it is a personal or private matter. According to the National Victim Center with Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, a vast majority of rape service agencies also believe that public education regarding rape, in addition to expanded advocacy and counseling services for rape victims, would be valuable in increasing the motivation of victims to report rapes to the proper authority (Paralumun New Age Village, n. d. ).

In order to realize this awareness, added educational programs on date rape all over the country’s schools, which are currently in place, must be implemented. This will allow girls to become more mindful of situations and environments that could lead to date rape. These awareness and education programs should also involve males and not be exclusively focused on females. In order for the percentage of date rape to decrease, males ought to be recognized as an element of the solution, and not just the cause of the predicament. With the inclusion of males, possibly miscommunication will decrease and date rape will not be as prevalent.

Conclusion Date rape refers to the coerced or forced sex between friends, dates, friends of friends, partners or general acquaintances. However as people call it, rape, forced sex, acquaintance rape or date rape is not about passion or sex; nor is it generally about lack of communication. The act has nothing to do with love since it is an act of violence and aggression. It can be a construed effort to assert power or control over another person, for the desire of having sex. Just because a girl has once had sex with the offender does not suggest that she has consented to having sex whenever the offender desires it.

Respect is indispensable to a healthy relationship; especially respect for the others feelings. Women must be forceful to refuse when they do not want to have sex. Women mind are often conditioned to treasure other persons’ feelings and that implies not hurting them. Unfortunately, this also leads some girls to remain in silence even if they are in a dangerous situation. Overall, date rape cannot at all times be avoided, nonetheless, there are several approaches a girl can carry out to reduce her likelihood of being victimized.