Rapists are not always
strangers. When someone you know—a date, steady,
acquaintance, or casual friend—forces you to have sex, it is
still rape.
When dating you
should….
•
Always
tell someone where you are going with your date, with whom, and when you
are expected to return.
•
Check out
a first date or a blind date with friends. Meet in and go
to public places. Carry money for a taxi or take your own car in case you need to
cut the date short.
•
Pay
attention to what your date says about him or her self. If you
detect discrepancies this should raise a flag.
•
Trust your
instincts.
If a place or the way your date acts makes you nervous or uneasy get away from the situation.
•
When out
with friends, keep together and try not to get separated.
Do not leave a social event with someone you have just met or do not know well.
•
Be careful
not to let alcohol or other drugs decrease your ability to
take care of yourself and make sensible decisions.
•
Do not
accept beverages from someone you do not know or trust.
Always watch your drink and never leave it unattended.
•
Use common
sense. Realize that you do not have the right to force a date to have sex just because you paid for dinner or drinks.
•
Accept a
person’s decision when he/she says, “No!” Do not
interpret it as a challenge.
•
Avoid
clouding your judgment and understanding of what another
person wants by using alcohol or drugs.
•
Do not
assume that a person wants to have sex just because he/she is
drinking heavily, the way he/she dresses, or agrees to go home with you.
•
Never have
sex with anyone who is passed out.
•
Do not
assume that just because a person has had sex with you
previously he or she is willing to have sex with you again.
•
Do not
assume that if a person consents to kissing or other sexual
intimacies he or she is willing to have sexual intercourse.
•
Realize
that forcing a person to have sex against his/her will is rape, a
violent crime with serious consequences.
•
Never be
drawn into a gang rape. Be prepared to resist pressure from
friends to participate.
•
If you see
a person in trouble at a party or a friend using force
or pressuring a person, do not be afraid to intervene. Your intervention may prevent the person from the trauma of sexual assault not to mention preventing your friend from the ordeal of criminal repercussions.
•
Ask
yourself how sexual stereotypes affect your attitudes and
actions toward other people.
•
Seek
counseling or a support group to help you deal with feelings
of violence and aggression toward others.
If
you become a victim of date rape….
•
Get help.
Do not isolate yourself, do not feel guilty, and do not
ignore it. It is a crime and should be reported.
•
Get
medical attention as soon as possible. Do not shower, wash,
or change your clothes. Women should not douche. Valuable evidence could be destroyed.
•
Get
counseling to deal with the emotional trauma.
•
If you
think you’ve been assaulted while under the influence of
Rohypnol, GHB, seek help immediately. Try not to urinate before providing urine samples, and if possible collect any glasses from which you drank.
What are “date rape” drugs….
•
Rohyponol
(“roofies,” “circles,” “the forget pills”) works like a
tranquilizer. It causes muscle weakness, fatigue, slurred speech, loss of motor
coordination and judgment, and amnesia that lasts up to 24 hours. It looks like an
aspirin (small, white, and round).
•
GHB (also
known as “liquid X,” “salt water,” or “scoop”) causes quick sedation. Its effects are drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, headaches, dizziness, coma, and possibly death. Its most common form is a clear
liquid, although it also can take the form of a white, grainy powder.
Rohypnol and GHB are
called the date rape drugs because when they are slipped
into someone’s drink a sexual assault can take place without
the victim being able to remember what happened.
On
Line Dating
•
Never give
out your home address, phone number, the name of your school or any other personal details to people you do not know.
•
If you
decide to talk to someone on the phone, ask to call
him/her. Make sure to use caller ID block (*67).
•
Use a
nickname in chat rooms or message boards.
•
Trust your
instincts. If you pick up on contradictions or
inconsistencies from your chat friend, or something does not feel right, end your
communication with him/her.
•
Meet chat
friends in public places.
•
Always
tell someone where you are going with your on-line date, who your on-line date is, and
when you will return.
•
Take a
cell phone with you.
•
Never go
to someone’s house that you have just met.
Sexual Assault SafeLine
The Sexual Assault SafeLine (410-516-7333) is a confidential service of the Johns Hopkins University Counseling Center. Trained professional counselors are available to offer support, provide resources or answer questions 24/7. A counselor can help you arrange for transportation if you need medical care, and can also arrange for an advocate to accompany you to the hospital if you wish.
This line is regularly monitored by our on-call counselors, so if you reach an answering machine you may leave your first name and telephone number and the on-call counselor will call you back shortly. The service is available to full time Homewood students and Peabody students.
EMERGENCIES:
If you are in danger, call 911.
You may also call Hopkins Security at 410-516-7777 (your call will be recorded)...
