Blue Notes from a Red Zone

Truly Free to Choose

For the past few months, the front page of our local paper was intermittently filled with the court martial of an Air Force officer convicted of six counts of rape. Given the profile of most sex offenders, and the general unwillingness of any rape victim (especially men) to report rape, it can be safely assumed that the total number of victims was far higher. Indeed, we know that two reported victims were not called in as witnesses since they were civilians in a different jurisdiction.

What makes this relevant is how these rapes occurred: a gentle-looking, well-dressed officer in the military staked out popular nightclubs, and used date-rape drugs to overcome his victims. There was nothing about him that would make normal alarm bells go off, and alert the average young man or woman that something was not right.

The very normality of this rapist’s appearance is absolutely typical. The average sex offender claims many victims before being apprehended, and he couldn’t manage it if the word “monster” was emblazoned on his forehead.

What is remarkable about this recent case is that a conviction was obtained. Date rape drugs and alcohol, either in combination or alone, are useful to rapists because they cloud memory and diminish the credibility of a victim’s report. While 38% of rape victims (according to the US Department of Justice) report crimes to law enforcement, less than 10% of rapes facilitated by drugs and/or alcohol are reported. Less than 1% of these cases are prosecuted, and even fewer prosecutions result in conviction. By and large, rapists using date rape drugs and/or alcohol are free to claim further victims without interference.

The instinctive societal approach to stopping drug and alcohol facilitated rape is to tell young men and women not to drink, and thus avoid being a potential victim. Liquor sales, however, tell us this is not a fool-proof approach. The crowds at nightclubs indicate that drinking can be fun, and most of us, not just young people, will occasionally choose immediate pleasure over an abstract risk such as rape. As is often the case with life, we need a Plan B.

The first line of defense is to fortify our community’s refusal to tolerate rape. We are a mixed message culture, and much of the message aimed at young men encourages sexual aggression and conquest. At the same time, men and women who come forth with rape reports are often greeted with suspicion. Women who have been drinking are assumed to have forfeited their right to have non-consensual sex, rather than treated as victims whose rights were stripped from them.

The second line of defense is generally the only one promoted: learning how not to be a victim: know where you are going, inform others as to where you will be and when you expect to be back, use your own transportation or call a cab, ask a friend to call to make sure you got home safely. Young men and women who are known to have people looking out for them are at dramatically less risk than those who are isolated. Since a rape-free society is not likely to take shape tomorrow, being careful will remain good advice for some time to come.

Still, part of being young is to explore options and make choices, some of which are wiser than others. What doesn't need to be part of being young is to pay for a poor choice with the anguish of having become a victim of rape.

posted by Lenore Wilson @ 12:23 AM