America's Safe Dating Coach: How to Prevent Date Rape for College Women!

As women, you are taught to watch out for stranger danger, when you should also be watching out for people you know. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 20-25% of college women have reported experiencing an attempted or a completed rape. (www.cdc.gov) Date rape is the highest unreported crime on college campuses & freshmen are at the highest risk within the first few weeks of school. Date rape is when someone you know forces you to have unwanted sexual contact, which can be vaginal, oral, or anal. Date rape is “non-consensual” sexual contact, which means that you did not say YES. A date rape victim is unable to consent when they are under age or have diminished mental capacity- which can mean a victim who is drugged, drunk, high, unconscious, or has a developmental disability. A rapist can be your boyfriend, fiancé, friend, acquaintance, classmate, professor, coworker, boss, family member, neighbor, or a complete stranger. You have the right to say NO, even if you have had consensual sex with this person before. No one is ever entitled to have sexual contact with you WITHOUT your consent. Even if you are drinking alcohol and under 21 years old, it is still considered illegal rape.

What most women don’t realize is that most rapes are committed by people that the victim knows. Date rape is NEVER your fault- even if you were drinking, drugged, flirting, or leading a guy on. Date rape is an illegal crime, as well as unwanted sexual touching and sexual harassment. If you or someone you know has been raped, please report it not only to the campus police, but to the local police as well. If you don’t report it, then it allows the person to keep raping other women. It also makes the rapist think that he got away with it once, so he can do it again. My goal is to create a world where date rape is not tolerated or accepted and I need your help. The first step is becoming an advocate for change and reporting the date rape.

There are a lot of twisted guys on college campuses who get off on drugging girls and raping them. Drug-assisted rape is a big problem on college campuses today. Date rape drugs can be GHB (liquid ectasy), Rohypnol (Roofies), and Ketamine (Special K). These drugs can be put into your drink without you even knowing it because they are odorless, colorless, and tasteless. They are usually crushed into a powder and added to your alcoholic or nonalcoholic drink. Common effects of date rape drugs are drowsiness, dizziness, paralysis, confusion, nausea, hallucinations, sense of euphoria, delayed reaction time, blurred vision, blackouts, memory loss, induced coma, and even death. A drugged victim is completely helpless against a rapist.

It is critical that any investigation into the suspected use of date rape drugs involve an immediate urine test and possible blood test because these drugs are quickly metabolized and eliminated by the body. Companies around the world are making or trying to make paper coasters or test strips that change color when dabbed with a drink containing a date rape drug.

Tips to prevent being drugged & raped:

Always go out with a group of friends, stay together & leave together.
All women need to watch out for each other.
Never leave alone- call campus security to escort you.
Do not accept drinks that you did not open or make yourself.
If beer is being poured out of a keg, make sure you see it being poured & passed to you.
Never let your drink out of your sight.
Don’t share drinks with anyone.
Never leave your drink- even bring it to the bathroom with you.
If your drink tastes funny, throw it away. Date rape drugs can taste salty and have excessive foam or residue.
If you feel “weird” after having a drink, stop drinking immediately and have a friend bring you to the local hospital to be blood tested or dial 911 for an ambulance. Better to be safe than sorry.