FACT SHEETS
If Your Child has been Sexually Abused
Taking Care of Your Child
After Sexual Assault
A Child's Sexual Behavior-
When Should You be Concerned?
Who Are Sexual Offenders?
Information for Parents
Date Rape/ Acquaintance Rape
Date/Acquaintance rape is forced, unwanted intercourse with a person you know. It can be with someone you know casually, with someone you have dated a few times, or even with someone you are having a close relationship with.
FACTS:
- 90% of date rapes involved drugs or alcohol.
- Most women are assaulted by men they know.
- Approximately 44% of the victims are under the age of 18.
- Females aged 12 to 34 are at highest risk. Girls ages 16-19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault (2000 NCVS).
- 9 out of 10 rape victims are female; 1 out of 10 are male
- Although date rapists are usually men, sexual assault does occur in both lesbian and gay male relationships .
- Only about 16% of the rapes (1 out of 6) are reported to the police.
COMMON REACTIONS TO DATE/ACQUAINTANCE RAPE:
Rape is a degrading, humiliating experience.
Frequent reactions are:
- Shock: feeling numb
- Disbelief: feeling as if it couldn’t have happened;
“it wasn’t really rape” - Shame: feeling dirty, like something is wrong with you
- Guilt: feeling it’s your fault; you did something
wrong;
you caused it - Depression: feeling tired and hopeless;
feeling out of control - Fear: of reprisal from your assailant;
of being pregnant or contracting HIV - Anxiety: physical symptoms, like difficulty breathing,
sleep disturbances, nausea. - Anger: wanting to cause harm to the person who hurt you.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU EXPEREINCE DATE/ACQUAINTANCE RAPE:
It’s up to you to decide who and what to tell…but here are some things to consider:
- Get to a safe place
- Call the police. A crime has been committed
- Call CASARC for help
- Call a friend or family member to be with you
- Do not bathe, douche or change clothes
- Write down as much as you can remember about the circumstances of the assault and the identity of your assailant
- Seek counseling and information