Invading Privacy
... people. For example, in most case of college rape the victim is female. The victim is smaller, weaker, and more vulnerable than her offender. Also many times when victims have experienced their first sexual activity at a younger age there is a greater chance to increase exposure to a rape situation. Several studies in various populations have attempted to identify “typical” characteristics of sexual assault. Among college students, a typical sexual assault occurs on a date, at either the man’s or the woman’s home, and is preceded by consensual kissing (Koss 1988). Additionally, the offender employs a great amount of force and aggression, most times without a weapon. In most cases the assault involves a single assailant. The woman, who believes that she has clearly emphasized her nonconsent, tries to resist through reasoning and by physically struggling (Koss 1988). Heavy alcohol consumption also has been linked to sexual assault perpetration. In studies involving two different subject groups, men who reported that they drank heavily were more likely than other men to report having committed sexual assault (Abbey et al. 1994; Koss 1988). Rape is linked to alcohol consumption in a wide range of ways. First, men who often drink heavily also likely do so in social situations that frequently lead to sexual assault. Second, heavy drinkers may routinely use intoxication as an excuse for engaging in socially unacceptable behavior, including sexual assault (Abbey et al. 1996). In a study done by forensic scientist Dr. Mahmound ElSohly at the University of Mississippi, alcohol was the most common drug found in urine sample obtained from rape victims. The study examined the urine samples from 578 rape victims provided by police departments, rape crisis centers, and emergency rooms. Dr. ElSohly found no drug present in 40% (234) of the samples. Alcohol was present in 36% (208) samples, and marijuana metabolites in 17% (93), tranquilizers in 8% (49) and cocaine in 7% (40). Other studies also show that when alcohol is present, a girl is at a much higher risk to be raped. Many times these men are friends or boyfriends of the girls, but after drinking they are unable or unwilling to control their sexual drive. Alcohol disrupts higher order cognitive processing making it difficult to focus on competing, contradictory information (Chermack and Giancola, 1997; Pihl and Peterson, 1995; Steele and Josephs, 1990). College is an experimental time in many adolescents’ lives. College is a new freedom for many people. Along with this new college life freedom, comes the chance to party, and most choose to do so. However, some of these people do not see potential consequences when they take that first sip of a drink at a party, which often times leads to a rape situation. According to research summarized in a recent report to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the consequences of excessive drinking by college students are more significant, more destructive, and more costly than many parents recognize. And they affect all students, whether or not they drink (National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). Another survey showed that 25% of college age women have been victims of sexual assaults (Harrington et al., 1994). Alcohol disinhibits a person’s thought process. The ideas ...