Preventing College Campus Sexual Assault
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Sexual Assault Lawyer. Many of us know how difficult it can be to drop our kids off at college each fall. While both young women and men can be sexually assaulted, statistics indicate that girls are far more vulnerable of college campus sexual assault. Parents must always provide safe dating guidelines for their girls before they start spending time alone with young men.
During their teen years, it’s important to tell your daughters about the different types of sexual advances they’re likely to encounter and their right to always say “No.” Be sure they always carry a fully-charged cell phone so they can call you or a close friend to come pick them up should trouble develop.
Remind them that if they choose to drink, it can become much harder to reject a male’s advances. They must decide prior to the beginning of any date what behavior they’re willing to tolerate and what types of events indicate they need to immediately end a date and go home.
Watch Youtube Video – Preventing College Campus Sexual Assault – A Constant Threat: This video talks about how less than 5 percent of women sexually assaulted on a college campus report the crime.
What Statistics Tell Us About the Chances College Women Will Be Sexually Assaulted
- While attending college, one out of every five (1 out of 5) young women will be subjected to rape or sexual assault;
- Ninety percent of the victims will already know their perpetrators;
- In 50 percent (50%) of the cases, either the victim, the assailant – or both – will have been drinking alcohol at the time of the sexual assault;
- Six to ten percent (6 to 10%) of college-age men admit that they’ve sexually assaulted at least one other student;
- Two-thirds (2/3rds) of these men also admit that they’ve raped more than one young female – and that they’re serial rapists.
General Safety Tips for Young Women Wanting to Prevent Rape
- Never accept a date alone with a young man off campus until you’ve spent considerable time getting to know him during one or two on-campus lunches or evening dates;
- Do not attend any fraternity parties unless you can confirm in advance that they will be carefully chaperoned. Always go with at least two friends – and promise each other to never leave the party without your entire group;
- Arrange in advance to have a friend watch over your drink while you go to the restroom. “Date-rape” drugs can take away any chance you might have to make good choices;
- Agree upon a hand signal to let a close friend at a party know that someone is harassing you and that you need help to break free of a young man;
- Always tell a friend who you’re going out with and write down your cell phone number, as well as the young man’s name, local address, and phone number;
- Once you first begin any level of sexual activity with a man, let him know in advance that your “No” means “No” and what limits you currently place on your sexual activity. If he won’t respect your boundaries – he’s not worth your time.
Places You Should Avoid Visiting with Any Young Man You’ve Just Recently Met
- Upstairs in any fraternity or club organization – or in any hallways filled with bedrooms;
- Rarely visited rooms on campus – especially late at night or on weekends;
- Parking in any remote area with your date;
- All bars, clubs, restaurants or hotels that aren’t right near campus. As is true with Internet dating, consider meeting someone for a first date at the restaurant where you’ll be eating;
- Never accept a date to go hiking or out of town with a boy you’ve just recently met.
Related Articles by Ed Smith:
Sacramento Sexual Assault Lawyers
I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento Sexual Assault Lawyer. If you, or someone you love has suffered a college campus sexual assault, please give me a call at (916) 921-6400 for free and friendly advice. When you call, we will go over the details of your case and decide how best to proceed. If you are calling outside of the greater Sacramento region, please utilize my toll-free number for free, friendly advice at (800) 404-5400.
I have been handling cases involving personal injury exclusively since 1982.
My client reviews are available here: Avvo (the site that rates attorneys), Google+, and Yelp.
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Photo Credit – Courtesy of Daderot (Own work) [CC0], by way of Wikimedia Commons
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