84% of rape on college campuses is acquaintance rape. 57% happened on dates.
Aquaintance/Date Rape
Acquaintance Rape and Date Rape both refer to sexual assault by a person known to the survivor. While most people think rape is committed by a stranger, acquaintance rape is actually much more common. Sexual aggression happens among acquaintances and in dating situations. On college campuses, 84-97% of sexual assault is committed by someone known to the survivor. Like any other rape, acquaintance rape is not the survivor's fault. This can be hard to remember; knowing the acquaintance may make a survivor feel that s/he is to blame, or that what happened does not qualify as sexual assault. In many cases, neither the survivor nor the perpetrator understands that what happened is illegal and met the legal definition of rape. Both may have a "bad feeling" about the experience. If you're not sure what happened it is still important to get help. Acquaintance rape is as traumatic and serious as other forms of rape. It is also against the law and against the University of Chicago Disciplinary Policy.
Although the majority of survivors of acquaintance rape are college-aged women, men are also sexually assaulted—by other men, and occasionally by women. While most date rapists are men assaulting women, sexual assault does occur in homosexual relationships. Same-sex victimization is just as traumatic as heterosexual victimization, and in the case of same-sex violence, the survivor also has to deal with the added barrier of potential homophobia—from peers, family, as well as various institutions. More information about recovering from same-sex violence and resources.
Knowing the perpetrator can add any number of difficulties to the survivor's recovery. The survivor may be afraid of having to see the perpetrator in his or her classes, dining hall, dorm, circle of friends, or even anywhere on campus. S/he may be afraid to take disciplinary or legal action or even seek help from anyone on campus, for fear of retribution or of word spreading about the rape. If this is the case for you, please remember that there are a number of confidential counseling resources on campus (such as the Student Counseling and Resource Service) and off campus. A survivor of date rape may lose trust in his/her own judgment and lose trust in other friends. S/he may feel guilty, ashamed, or confused; s/he may mistakenly believe s/he is to blame for the attack.
In general, it is important to keep in mind the following facts about acquaintance rape.
- Sexual coercion and aggression may occur at any stage in a relationship.
- Unlike stranger rape, which tends to occur at any time and in a variety of settings, acquaintance rape tends to occur on weekends on the rapist's turf (dorm room, apartment, car, party).
- Acquaintance rape may involve verbal and/or physical force.
- It is important for everyone to set their limits, figure out the level of sexual activity with which they are comfortable (including no sexual activity), express that to their partner, AND listen to and respect the limits of him/her.
