Fighting Back:
Putting Date Rape to an End
“When you were in high school it was about kissing behind the bleachers at the football field, or holding hands in front of your friends, eating lunch together, and hanging out after school. When you go to college the whole world of dating seems to spin and turn upside down” (Pickett, 2005). Seniors get so excited to finally graduate, and feel even an ounce of freedom and independence; many do not even realize what to do with it. Obviously, statistics can prove that incoming freshmen in college are ready to party hard and absorb the “true college experience” by intoxicating themselves with various drugs and alcohol. Although freshmen want to meet to people by mingling, especially with others older, many are blindsided with a harsh reality. It has become one of the biggest issues that many women have had to face, all summed up into one word. Rape. No matter how old and mature college students may think they are, people will still take advantage of them, even if not wanted. Many students still have not grasped that dangerous concept of dating, especially blind dating. A lot of people think nothing of it because it mostly hasn’t happened to them yet. According to statistics by Kathleen Hirsch, “At lease 1 in 4 college women will be the victim of a sexual assault during her academic career” (Hirsch, 1990). It is really hard to find someone to trust because college can be very fast nonstop. No matter how many people a person might know and be friends with does not even keep them in the clear from a rapist. “More than 70% of rape victims knew their attackers, compared to about half of all violent crime victims” (Dennison, 1998). This means that no matter how close of a connection there is in the friendship, not everyone is compassionate when it comes to forcing sex on someone else. Alcohol and drugs are also a main content in the outrageous amount of date rape. Many times, girls are unknowingly taking the “date rape drug”, often called a “roofie” or “roche”, causing them to black out. “Rohypnol is known as a rape drug because perpetrators reportedly slip it into victim's drinks causing them to blackout. Rohypnol takes away a victim's normal inhibitions, leaving the victim helpless and blocking the memory of a rape or assault” (Staten, 2004). This is done all the time on college campuses. Because “sleeping drugs” like these are so accessible, many young women are in a horrible and dangerous position. Everyday, young women are falling into these traps that men set in order to violate them. It is a vicious, never ending circle, that can only be stopped if women took the first step to change this reaccuring pattern. "The teaching of techniques and how not to panic, I think, were the most helpful...I thought, 'What if there was a real (dangerous) situation?,'...I'm glad to be prepared. It's better than knowing nothing" (Peng, 2008). This was said by a student from San Jose State University. The University holds classes to teach people how to defend themselves if ever put in a dangerous situation. If more people take this kind of action, then there will be hopefully be a major decrease in the date rape population.
Furthermore, it is clearly shown that date rape is a serious problem and can not be stopped until the effort is put forth to stop it. There are still a lot of ways to have fun in college. The main thing is to be safe about it. The best way to not be put in a dangerous position is for a person not to be in a vulnerable situation. When going out with friends to a club, always be on alert and never take anything already opened. By taking precaution when out, it is a major step to a safer community.
Reference List
Dennison, C. (1998). Criminal victimization. Statistics About Assault and College Campuses. Retrieved December 18, 2008, from
http://www.slc.edu/security/Statistics_about_Sexual_Assault_and_College_Campuses.php Hirsch, K. (1990). Fraternities of fear: gang rape, male bonding, and the silencing of women. Statistics About Sexual Assault and College Campuses.
Retrieved December 18, 2008, from
Packett, R. (2005). How the dating game changes in college. Associated Content Lifestyle. Retrieved December 18, 2008, from
Peng, S. (2008, December 10). Primed to fight against predators. In B. DeCastro (Ed.), Spartan Daily. Retrieved December 20,2008, from
Staten, C. (2004). Date rape drugs and alcohol. Counseling Services. Retrieved December 18, 2008 from
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