Teenagers And Rape

Rape is one of the most terrifying and psychologically brutal things a young teenager can experience. Unfortunately it’s also very common for the victim of a rape to be a young teenager. Roughly fifty percent of rape victims are under eighteen years of age when a rape occurs and teens between the ages of twelve and seventeen are three times as likely to be sexually assaulted than an adult. One in six women has experience an attempted rape or a completed rape and more than eighty percent of them were under the age of twenty-five. Teen date rape and dating violence is on the rise, every third teenager has been a subject of some form of violence. More than 60% of rapes are in fact date rapes, when a person raped knows the rapist as a friend, boyfriend or even a relative.

Although rape is one of the most common crimes committed it is also one of the most rarely reported. Studies done have shown that less than sixteen percent of rapes that occur were reported - that’s less than one in six that occur. A lot of this has to do with teenagers not reporting the crime when it happens for a variety of reasons. Some teenagers fear getting in trouble with their parents either for the rape itself or for some activity they were participating in when the rape occurred, such as being at a party they weren’t allowed to go to or some similar circumstance. Others also fear getting in trouble at school or with the authorities for some reason perhaps for being involved in drugs or underage drinking and that can get in the way of reporting a rape as well.

Drugs and alcohol are commonly involved in rape to some degree whether it’s just their presence at a party or an actual involvement in the process of the rape. Most people nowadays can get a hold of date rape drugs, making their victim powerless to defend themselves. Date rape drugs are almost impossible to detect, as most of them have no smell, no taste and no color, so they can easily be mixed in with a drink without being detected. They can put a person in a confused state, or even make a person pass out or, some of them will leave your memory blank and you won’t even remember that you were raped. The most common known date rape drug is Rohypnol.

Unfortunately some victims mistakenly believe that the rape is their fault, either from their own assumptions or because of something the rapist said. No matter what is said a rape is never the fault of the victim. There are beliefs that if a girl dresses or acts a certain then way then she is “asking for it” or “deserves” to be raped but this is never the truth and young women shouldn’t have to fear rape simply because of their clothing or their actions.  It’s beliefs like these that allow rape to continue happening our society and prevent many teens from reporting rapes that occur.

The unfortunate truth is that many teens who have been a victim of date rape believe that it was their fault, and that causes more trauma for them than the actual violence they suffered. Emotional scars can be the biggest problem a victim of date rape can suffer. Trauma from being raped can last a lifetime and can effect many aspects of a teens life from future dating and relationships to their views of their sexuality. The most unfortunate cases of rape can leave a teenager very badly hurt, traumatized, with an STD or pregnant.

When it comes to teenagers most date rapes occur out of confusion from one side. And unfortunately sometimes victims of date rape and other forms of violence or sexual assault tend to keep quiet about it. That is the part when parents and friends must step in and show support. Although a raped person might not want to talk about it, such a trauma always leaves signs and changes in behavior. Closely monitoring your teenage child or your friend you will be able to notice changes and eventually find out the truth of the matter - whatever it was - that cause these changes. This first and the biggest responsibility of any parent is awareness.

The signs you should be watching for are physical signs of injury, falling grades, changes in personality and mood swings, use of various illegal substances, and the most common sign is isolation from society. If two or more of these signs appear you should take a closer look into what has happened with your teen child. Even those kids that know the responsibility of dating and everything that goes with it get raped.  It is very important for teenagers that have gone through this kind of ordeal to talk about it and get help and it is important for parents and friends to be forthcoming and understanding in those situations. The biggest and the most important responsibility of a parent is awareness. You need to be aware that teen date rape is happening to more and more teenagers and that it is a real and valid threat in our society.

Even though it’s not often reported it is a very present danger and it isn’t one that’s just going to go away on it’s own. For rape to stop there must be a shift in the mentality of our society. A study conducted in Rhode Island found that over eighty percent of young teenagers that were surveyed believed that in some way, shape, or form there is a circumstance where forced sex is allowed. None of that eighty percent realized that there is never a situation where rape is deemed acceptable in any way whatsoever. Rape cannot be tolerated on any level and it especially cannot be allowed to happen to young teenagers who aren’t capable of defending themselves and certainly aren’t emotionally mature enough yet to deal with the physiological or psychological effects of being raped - not that anyone is ever really ready to deal with such an assault.

The best way to avoid having your teenage daughter or son be put in such a position is to maintain a good awareness of their activities and what’s going on with them. Having such an awareness will allow you to keep track of what’s happening at the parties they go to or with the people they spend time with as well as what they know about protecting themselves and being in dangerous situations. It can be helpful for young teenagers to take a personal defense class as well so that they know how to protect themselves should a dangerous situation arise. Keep your teenagers safe and informed and they’ll be much better off when it comes to avoiding such an awful experience.