Date Rape Informative Speech

Lindsey, Allison, and Abby christian M&F
Mr. Bouma Unit 1

Dangers of Date Rape

In America, a woman is raped every two minutes, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. One in four women are victims of rape or attempted rape, 84 % of those women knew their attacker, 57 % of the rapes have happened while on dates. About 42 % of the victims told no one, 38 % of the women raped are between the ages of 14-17. 75 % of men and 55 % of the women involved in date rape had been drinking or taking drugs before the attack occurred. The most common drug used in sexual assault is alcohol. It is estimated that about half of all sexual assault victims were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the assault. Also drugs such as GHB and Rohypnol are used. They can be slipped into your drink when you are not looking. The drugs often have no color, smell, or taste, so you can't tell if you are being drugged. The drugs can make you become weak, confused, cause you to even pass out, so that you are unable to refuse sex or defend yourself. If you are drugged, you might not remember what happened while you were drugged. Date rape drugs are used on both females and males. As it says in Matthew 7:12 , “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” This verse is a good reminder to not only respect yourself but to respect others. We each interviewed people on this subject. The person Lindsey talked to had personally experienced being drugged and taken advantage of. The advice she gave to me is to never trust anyone even if you know them! The risk of being drugged is so high. “I had no idea or even thought that the person I was with would have ever done this to me. It was a person I thought I trusted. I left my drink alone for only a couple seconds, but that is all it takes.” She told me. Abby talked to her parents and they had a lot to say. My parents tell me they often worry about me at my age and the possibilities of someone slipping a date rape drug into my drink while I’m at someone’s house. They’ve told me multiple times that I need to be aware of my surrounding especially if I am around people who are drinking. They’ve drilled these things into for the past few years of high school. The person Allison talked to had been taken advantage of by someone she knew, and was even in a relationship with. Her so called “boyfriend” and his friends drugged her, and took advantage of her. Her advice is to always be careful and safe. She also said “its really hard to tell people about, because its so embarrassing to tell people about, and you almost feel like its your fault because its someone you know. But you need to talk it out.” In the book we read Date Rape Drugs It talked about the signs a man may be trying to date rape you, and suspicious things to look out for. It talked about examples of what could possibly happen. In the book they described what to do if you believe you have been date raped. It is important to go to the police and hospital so they can catch the person who did this to you. They talked about all the different types of drugs used to relax you to such a degree that you pass out. Alway be aware of your surroundings and the type of people around you and always be extra cautious!