A disturbing trend is on the increase. I was shocked at the high incidents of this form of criminality, if it indeed happened. It is the date rape. There is no single form of date rape. Some rapes occur on first dates; others after a relationship has been developed; still others after the couple has been involved for some time. In long-term or close relationships, the male partner may feel he has invested so much time and money in his partner that he is owed sexual favors or that sexual intimacy is an expression that the involvement is progressing.
He may make comparisons to other couples who have dated as long and are sexually active. Males who use force in their dating relationships are more likely to be angry, jealous, and stressed, have poor communication skills, act irrationally, use alcohol, and report more efforts to control their partners than those men who never use force in dating relationships.
Date rape is believed to be frequent on college campuses. It has been estimated that 20 to 25 percent of all college women are victims of rape or attempted rape. One self-report survey found that 100% of all rapists knew their victims beforehand. The actual incidence of date rape may be even higher than surveys indicate because many of the victims blame themselves and do not recognize the incident as rape. Thus despite their seriousness and prevalence, fewer than 1 in 10 date rapes will be reported to the police.
Why so many victims? Why not report it to police? Should rapists be imprisoned for life? For 50 years? What if it never happened? What if there was a misunderstanding? What can be done to minimize this problem? What if you were Kobe Bryant? What if you were the victim?
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