Date Rape - Prevention

Prevention

Drug-facilitated sexual assault is not predictable. However, there are lists of safety tips that have been widely distributed to help potential victims keep themselves and their friends safe.

One such list is available through KidsHealth:

Protecting Yourself: The best defense against date rape is to try to prevent it whenever possible. Here are some things both girls and guys can do:

• Avoid secluded places (this may even mean your room or your partner's) until you trust your partner.
• Don't spend time alone with someone who makes you feel uneasy or uncomfortable. This means following your instincts and removing yourself from situations that you don't feel good about.
• Stay sober and aware. If you're with someone you don't know very well, be aware of what's going on around you and try to stay in control. Also, be aware of your date's ability to consent to sexual activity — you may become guilty of committing rape if the other person is not in a condition to respond or react.
• Know what you want. Be clear about what kind of relationship you want with another person. If you are not sure, then ask the other person to respect your feelings and to give you time. Don't allow yourself to be subject to peer pressure or encouraged to do something that you don't want to do.
• Go out with a group of friends and watch out for each other.
• Don't be afraid to ask for help if you feel threatened.
• Take self-defense courses. These can build confidence and teach valuable physical techniques a person can use to get away from an attacker.

Recently, bystander intervention has become a major focus of sexual assault prevention. This approach focuses attention on having a third party (i.e. not the perpetrator nor the victim) recognize a potential sexual assault and intervene in a safe way. Some bystander campaigns have been evaluated and have been proven to change participant attitudes toward bystander responsibility in the prevention of sexual assault. The bystander intervention is particularly promising for a number of reasons. Bystanders can intervene in a wide range of prevention activities, from low- to high-risk situations and including primary (before the assault), secondary (during the assault) and tertiary (after the assault) prevention. Strategically, it makes sense given that many victims were last socializing in a public place. Bystander intervention also moves away from victim-focused (and victim-blaming) prevention, which can negatively impact victim/survivors of sexual assault. Bystander intervention also moves away from perpetrator-focused prevention, which has been shown to be widely ineffective.