From another perspective
“No, no, no!” Does no always mean no?
Well in the case of rape, it sure does. One in every six women will be raped each year. Think about that. Scary thought.
Not only do women get raped but men do too. According to the web site for the Rape Crisis Center of Catawba County, N.C., men get raped by other men and even women. Most of us grow up thinking that rape happens only to women; however, men usually share many of the same feelings as females do. They may feel guilt, powerless, safety concerns, denial, shock and anger.
The most common type of rape is date rape. According to Dictionary.Com date rape is “rape perpetrated by the victim’s social escort.” According to Hope for the Healing’s web site, only five percent of date rapes are ever reported. Date rape destroys one of the most important virtues, trust. A rape victim has to learn to trust others all over again.
When a person says no, the answer is no. By going out on a date with another is not automatically agreeing to have sex no matter how much money was spent. Sex is not something owed in return for going on a date. In a rape case, the victim feels violated. The perpetrator feels like nothing he or she did nothing wrong and cares very little for the feelings of the victim.
Another type of rape is marital rape. According to the Violence against Women web site, “marital rape can be defined as any unwanted intercourse or penetration obtained by force, threat of force, or when the wife is unable to consent. Most studies of marital rape have included couples who are legally married, separated, divorced or cohabiting with the understanding that the dynamics of sexual violence in a long-term cohabiting relationship are similar to those of a married couple.”
All types of rape disturb me. I just don’t understand how one person can inflict that much physical and emotional pain on another person, especially his or her spouse. Fortunately, there are ways to protect yourself. Things you can do to prevent date rape: Be aware of your friend, acquaintance, partner or date’s attitudes toward women; express what you want clearly; avoid secluded places; avoid alcohol and other drugs; watch your drink; drive your own car; be direct and assertive when saying “no” and leave once you feel uncomfortable.
Some ways to reduce the risk of rape: Make friends in your neighborhood; avoid isolated places; leave lights on; install and use quality deadbolt locks and vary your daily routine. This information was obtained from brochures on the subject of rape in Georgia College & State University’s counseling services. For more information or support, contact Counseling Services at 445-5331.
Not only do women want to end rape but so do men. According to Men Can Stop Rapes web site, this organization (formerly Men’s Rape Prevention Project) “empowers male youth and the institutions that serve them to work as allies with women in preventing rape and other forms of men’s violence. Through awareness-to-action education and community organizing, we promote gender equality and build men’s capacity to be strong without being violent.”
The existence of this organization is encouraging. If we continue to attempt to prevent rape and other support groups keep donating their time to rape, hopefully we can reduce this statistic: every eight minutes, a person is raped.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Jan 31 2003. Filed under Opinion.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0.
You can leave a response or trackback to this entry
