By Savannah McDade Posted October 20, 2010
One in four women falls victim to a rape attack; a rape occurs every seven minutes in the United States (60% while on a date); the majority of the victims are between the ages of 15 and 24, and the attacker is 86% to 99% more likely to be someone the victim knows, rather than a stranger. (www2.truman.edu)
Drug prevention, STD prevention, and the consequences of driving under the influence are lessons being pounded into childrens’ brains at a very young age, and rightly so. However, schools have neglected to touch on one of the most pressing issues, which is date rape.
Date rape occurs on a constant basis, though people rarely tackle the matter either because they are embarrassed, or they are afraid to deal with the issue of sex in general because it will likely spike controversy.
When did our culture become so naïve? It is really not that shocking that date rape occurs so frequently when our society promotes films such as, “The Notebook”, “Twilight”, “The Last Song”, etc. it is common knowledge that many young girls become infatuated with these love stories because many girls have unrealistic expectations and why not? What woman does not want to believe that a young, Leonardo Dicaprio look-a-like, will fall in love with her? Why? Because, she is the most, “special, beautiful, intelligent, humorous, original girl in the world.” The point being, when women hold false expectations, they are vulnerable.
My intent is not to stereotype, and I am not implying that every young girl is naïve by fault, how is anyone expected to be made aware if they are never educated? Teenagers need to be taught how to recognize potentially risky situations.
According to, www2.truman.edu, there are certain “red flags” that a woman must look out for before entering a potentially dangerous situation. It is not necessary to list every “red flag” in order to convey the essential idea: trust your intuition. Human beings encompass survival instincts, just as any other animal. Take advantage of this; if you have a bad feeling about something, pay attention to that feeling.
According to, www.union.k12.ia.us, 55% of the women involved in a rape had been drinking or taking drugs prior to the incident. The concept that should make the most sense is sobriety; if you are not in control of yourself, you are not in control of the situation. Also, be cautious when partying with a group of guys, no matter how well you think you know them. In many date rape testimonies, women admitted to thinking they knew the perpetrator well, and in some cases, they had been friends with the attacker for years.
If schools advocate date rape awareness, with the same emphasis that is placed on other issues may be the problem will be minimized.
