Sexual Assault and Acquaintance Rape

Understanding the Issue

Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual contact. Someone the victim knows perpetrates most sexual violence. It can be a friend, classmate, co-worker, date, neighbor or relative. Force can be actual physical aggression, threats of force, emotional coercion or psychological blackmailing.

The first two weeks of the academic year is a time when individuals are at high risk for becoming a victim of sexual violence. In many cases, a lack of clear communication or a lack of understanding as to the differences in gender communication can lead to sexual assault, and this is more likely to happen in dating or romantic situations.

Facts and Figures

The majority of all rapes of women are known as acquaintance rapes, in which the victim knows her attacker. Offenders known to the victim perpetrate approximately three-quarters of all lone-offender sexual violence against women. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

Women who are most often raped are between 16 and 24 years of age (Koss). Since this is the period when young women begin to date, they are particularly vulnerable to being a victim of date rape. The peak rate of victimization occurs in the 16 - 19 year old age group with the next highest rate of victimization occurring between 20 and 24 years of age.

Eight in ten college rapes involved someone the attacker knew, more than half involved a date. Eighty-six percent of these rapes occurred in off-campus housing or in a car, prior to the rape 42 % had been virgins. (Rape on Campus: Facts and Measures)

Sexual violence remains the most dramatically underreported crime, with an estimated two-thirds of attacks unreported. (American Medical Association, 1996)

Common Reactions to Sexual Assault

Fear and Anxiety. Individuals who are victims of sexual assault will probably experience a heightened sense of fear and anxiety. This may happen when they remember their assault, or it may be triggered spontaneously.

Re-experiencing the Trauma. Individuals who have been assaulted often re-experience the event, sometimes through flashbacks or nightmares.

Increased Arousal. Victims may feel jumpy, jittery, shaky, easily startled, and have trouble concentrating and sleeping. Continuous arousal can lead to impatience and irritability, especially if the victim is not getting enough sleep.

Avoidance. Individuals who have experienced sexual assault may avoid situations that remind them of the assault.

Anger. Victims may feel angry, not only with the assailant, but also with others.

Feelings of Guilt and Shame. Many rape victims blame themselves for the things that they did or did not do during the assault. Victims sometimes experience feelings of blame from others about their assault.

Depression. Depression is a common reaction to a sexual assault. Rape victims may feel down, sad, hopeless and full of despair. They may cry more often, and lose interest in people and activities that they used to enjoy. They may also feel that their lives are not worth living.

Self Image. Rape victims tend to view themselves and the world more negatively than prior to the assault. They also may experience difficulties trusting others, and difficulties with being intimate with others. Their relationships with other may become tense.

Ways to help if someone you know is a victim of sexual assault

• Follow the protocol that has been established at your University for handling victims of sexual assault.
  
• Encourage the victim to report the crime, and to obtain medical attention. On many college campuses, victims can report rape and keep their identity concealed as a "Jane Doe", which gets the crime on record with appropriate authorities, and gives the victim time to decide how they want to handle the sexual assault. Proper medical attention is a must, so that the victim can be examined, treated, and physical evidence can be collected.
  
• Understand that part of the healing process is the victim feeling empowered to make his or her own choices about how the sexual assault should be handled. As much as you may feel that an assault victim should pursue a certain course, it is important that you allow the victim to make decisions about how to deal with the assault after it has occurred. This is important to the healing process.
  
• Don't be judgmental. Women do not provoke rape because of how they dress, talk or behave. Rapists look for victims who are accessible and vulnerable.
  
• Do not place blame on the victim. Rape is not the victim's fault. Regardless of the circumstances prior to the rape, rape victims do not ask to be sexually assaulted. Reassure the victim that the sexual assault was not their fault.
  
• Give comfort. The victim will need a great deal of nurturing and support.
  
• Do not make judgements as to whether a victim is telling the truth or not. Passing judgement on the rape is someone else's responsibility. Remember that according to FBI statistics, only 1 to 2 % of assaults is suspected to be false, which is approximately the same rate for false reports for other crimes.
  
• Don't minimize the trauma of being raped by someone you know. Individuals who are victims of acquaintance rape deal with extensive emotional issues, which are in many ways similar to the issues that manifest after a stranger rape. Additionally, victims of acquaintance rape also suffer and must work through the issues of being victimized by someone that they trusted and knew.
  
• Encourage the victim to not stay alone. Although it is ultimately the victim's choice, encourage them to contact a close friend who can stay with them at night initially after the assault.
  
• Encourage the victim to seek out support through a hotline, counseling center, or rape crisis center. Individuals trained in sexual assault issues can best help and support the sexual assault victim.

NOTE: The information presented in this article has been provided by the Sexual Assault, Counseling and Education (SACE) program at the Tuttleman Counseling Services at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.