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May marks "Sexual Assault Prevention
Month" across Canada and the US.
What is "sexual assault"? Is it
like rape?
 hat
do people mean when they talk about rape? "Rape" generally
refers to intercourse or sexual penetration that has been forced
on a person. Rape, however, is not a term found in Canadian law.
In the Criminal
Code, rape has been replaced by the term "sexual assault".
Sexual assault basically refers to any form of unwanted contact
between individuals that is of a sexual nature. "Force",
therefore, matters less than consent does.
Sexual assault can take place between intimates, dating partners,
friends, acquaintances or strangers.
In fact, rapes committed by acquaintances of the victim are the
most common forms of sexual assault, closely followed by sexual
assaults by dating or other relationship partners (Klymchuk et al.,
2000).
"Date rape" drugs
People who are known to a potential victim pose the greatest risk
of sexually assaulting them. Parties and other social gatherings
where drinking and/or drug use occur are settings in which many
people like to shed their inhibitions. Alcohol, for example, has
long been known as a "social lubricant" as many people
feel more relaxed and socially adept when drinking. Today, however,
new and serious threats are posed by "date rape drugs",
which do far more than "loosen us up". On private dates,
in clubs and at raves, these drugs have been increasingly used in
sexual attacks on impaired and vulnerable victims. For this reason,
many are also referred to as "predator drugs". They include:
- Rohypnol (brand name - drug name Flunitrazepam) is a
tranquilizer similar to, but much more potent than, Valium. Rohypnol
has the power to render someone unconscious, and cause memory
loss, muscle relaxation and weakness. Effects can occur within
half an hour of dosage, and last many hours. Some victims of rohypnol-facilitated
sexual assault have woken up in completely different locations
from where they remember being hours before, with no memory of
what took place in the intervening hours of lost consciousness.
- GHB, or Liquid Ecstasy, has been called "the
love drug". GHB is popular at raves and concerts as it creates
in the user a sense of tranquility, enhanced sensuality, and loss
of inhibition. The drug's effects can be very long-lasting, and
in large doses, lead to spontaneous deep sleep.
- Ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, can cause hallucinations,
dissociation, and memory loss.
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7 steps to prevent
a sexual assault
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- Trust your intuition. If you sense that a situation or
person is dangerous, avoid the person or get out of the
situation as soon as possible - safety is the most important
issue.
- Make sure that someone knows where you are at all times.
Don't go off on your own, especially with new acquaintances
or strangers.
- Never leave a drink unattended or accept a drink or drugs
from a stranger. Don't let substances impair your judgment
or ability to act in your own best interest. Don't drink
from punch bowls, or share drinks.
- Know your own limits and state them very early on. Know
that it is your perfect right to stop sexual activity at
any time - if you're not feeling well, uncomfortable, afraid,
or uncertain. Consent is given in the moment, and moments
and minds can change.
- Don't feel pressured to have sex in return for affection,
gifts, dinner, or flowers. Guilt is no motivation to have
sex, neither is wishing to be seen as a "nice girl"
or "nice guy".
- Be assertive. Take self-defense and assertiveness training
courses. Learn how to project a confident physical and mental
attitude. Remember, you are the only person in charge of
your body.
- Take extra steps to protect seniors, mentally and physically
challenged people, children, and people who are mentally
ill. People from these groups are more vulnerable and at
greater risk across their lifetimes for sexual abuse and
assault.
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Other drugs that are perhaps better known may also be used to make
people vulnerable to sexual assault:
- Alcohol is a drug with sedating properties. Ingested
in large amounts, alcohol can cause blood poisoning, brain and
organic damage and even death
- Hallucinogens (such as LSD, "magic" mushrooms)
- Narcotics (these include prescription pain relievers)
- "Aphrodisiacs", and
- Sleeping pills or other prescription drugs
On their own, most of these drugs are powerful and can have negative
side-effects. Some may have life-threatening consequences when taken
even in small doses. When taken in combination with alcohol, even
the most common of these drugs can produce unpredictable and dangerous
- even deadly - results. Any substance that has the power to undermine
a person's awareness, judgment and functioning can be used to facilitate
sexual assault. Therefore, it's crucial to be very aware of what
you are consuming, and what to do should you encounter any of these
substances.
What to do if you suspect you have been
drugged and sexually assaulted:
- Move to a safe place, and if you are able, tell someone you
trust immediately. Ask them to help you get medical attention
or arrange on your own to get medical help, OR call the police
or a rape support organization as soon as possible to report what
has happened. They will advise you as to what you can do next.
- If you can, take a sample of your drink or food with you to
the medical facility to be tested. There, you can ask to be screened
for drugs and examined for evidence of sexual assault. Following
suspected assault or drugging, it's recommended you do not take
anything that is not prescribed, or shower or bathe. Doing so
may remove or degrade any evidence of the assault.
People who have been assaulted often feel ashamed, shocked, helpless
and confused. They frequently incorrectly blame themselves. The
experience can paralyze people, and cause them to keep what happened
to themselves. It's important to share your experience with a sensitive
and trained person who can help, and to consider reporting the crime
to the police. You may not have been the only victim, and your report
may help to prevent a future assault on someone else.
Sexual assaults occur much more frequently than we know. Unfortunately,
under-reporting of these crimes presents a formidable obstacle to
understanding the ature and extent of this problem. For example,
researchers at Statistics Canada (2001) estimate that fewer than
10% of sexual assaults of people over 15 years of age are reported
to Canadian police agencies, and only 1% of all date/acquaintance
rapes ever come to the attention of law enforcement.
For more information or assistance:
To locate services near you, consult your community telephone directory.
Normally, emergency contact numbers are provided in the first few
pages. Some of these numbers may refer to the following services.
Alternatively, you can search your yellow pages directory under
these headings:
- sexual assault or rape relief centres
- women's and men's centres
- crisis or help lines
- victim serving organizations - often reached through police
or provincial Attorney General offices
- sexual abuse counseling centres
- gay/lesbian/trans-gendered support organizations
- physicians, health units or hospitals
- mental health workers, such as counselors, psychologists, psychiatric
nurses
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In Canada, it's estimated that one out of every four women,
and one out of 10 men over the age of 18, will be sexually
assaulted sometime during their lives (Statistics Canada,
2001).
The Violence Against Women Study, conducted by Statistics
Canada in 1993, revealed that 1/3 of all women polled had
experienced sexual assault, and that ΒΌ of all women
reported being ever sexually assaulted by a spouse or partner.
This finding suggests that for the sampled women, sexual assault
by a partner was even more likely to occur in their relationships
than was physical assault or abuse.
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Article prepared by the 
