Imagine waking up
without clothing on, finding yourself with unfamiliar surroundings around
unfamiliar people. Police departments are taking reports from young women and
men waking up in situations such as the ones stated everyday.
The victims now have not just the trauma of the assault to worry about but also the worries of unprotected sex and maybe pregnancy to deal with
Solution
The
biggest issue is that the crime goes unreported due to the lack of knowledge
that people know. My plan is to start an outreach program. This program will be
in place to get information out. Just like we see commercials about smoking,
diabetes, and about many different types of diseases. We hardly see anything
about any type of sexual assault. The idea behind an outreach group is to
inform people about when, how, and where date rape happens. Most importantly it
is important that we make sure that people are aware of who causes the crime.
Another thing that is needed to happen is to extend therapy groups, support
groups, and counseling for victims. Any service that is provided will be free.
It
is important to make sure that victims feel safe. Date rape happens by people
who the victim used to trust. After being in a situation where date rape has
happened it is hard for people to admit it to loved one much less a stranger.
This outreach program will provide shelter for those who feel they are in
danger due to the fact that they did present information to the police station
or a member of our group.
Tips to help prevent
being drugged by date rape drugs
- Females in particular are strongly advised never under any circumstances to accept any opened drink, particularly from a stranger.
- If you are drinking, you are strongly advised to drink only bottled drinks, and to insist that you open them yourself.
- Don’t leave your drink unattended and don’t let it out of your sight.
- Don’t share drinks with anyone, even a good friend.
- Never ask someone to watch your drink for you, they might simply be distracted, or might not be as trustworthy as you think.
- If your drink has been left unattended, don’t continue drinking it, discard it.
- Drinking mixed-drinks from a wide-mouthed glass is asking for trouble.
- Avoid punch from a large mixed bowl, it is impossible to determine the contents.
- If a drink has a strange taste, like being salty, or has a strange appearance like being too frothy or a residue don’t drink it, throw it away.
- Always make sure you are in the company of a trusted friend who can help you to safety should you find yourself passing out from a spiked drink.
- Be aware of the people around you and their behavior. If someone shows signs of being more drunk than they would usually be after a certain amount of alcohol they may be in danger.