What Women Should Know about Acquaintance Rape

Acquaintance rape is a rape committed by someone known to the victim. This might be a friend, classmate, co-worker, instructor, relative, or casual acquaintance such as a clerk in a store. It is important to remember that acquaintance rape is not a separately defined crime. Any person, whether an acquaintance or not, who compels a person to submit to sexual intercourse against his or her will, by force or by threat of bodily injury, commits the crime of rape.

One recent study concluded that women are more likely to be sexually assaulted by a person known to them than by a stranger. In one survey, most of the college women who had been raped knew their attacker, and the attacker was the woman's date in more than one-half of the rapes.

Victims of acquaintance rape are often involved in situations where they trust their acquaintance not to be an assailant. Some assailants foster a false sense of friendliness in order to sustain a level of trust in their intended victim. They use this technique to gain their victim's initial cooperation in going to an apartment or vehicle where the aggressor can more easily exert force or threat of force on the victim.

• Most acquaintance rapes involve alcohol.
• Communicate clearly what you want, and what you're expectations are.
• Set limits for acceptable sexual behavior.
• Trust your instincts.
• Learn to be assertive.
• Say "no," and mean it.
• Exercise caution when dating.
• Be aware of your verbal and non-verbal actions.
• Leaving a party with someone you have just met could be dangerous.
• Avoid excessive alcohol in a dating situation.
• Seek education on rape by attending workshops or seminars.
• Tell someone.