If you have been sexually assaulted or have been the victim of dating violence, contact one of your counselors -Mike Franklin or Megan Patrick-Thompson at 447-5441. Or if you desire you can contact the Friendship Center, the Helena center for sexual assault and domestic violence, at 442-6800 or after hours at 1-800-248-3166. All of your conversations with either the counselors or a victim advocate from the Frienship Center are confidential. There is also a link to the Friendship Center in the column to the right.
Sexual Safety by the Numbers
Definitions:
In Montana, Rape is called “Sex without Consent,” and it is defined as an unwanted penetration of a vagina, anus or mouth by an object or body part. Sexual Assault is when someone has sexual contact with you, but you didn’t want it. This term encompasses things like fondling, attempted rape, and completed rape.
Commonly Asked Questions
Sexual Assault happens to men as well as women. Men are most likely to be a victim of sexual assault as young boys and teenagers. Some studies suggest that 1 in 6 men have been victims of sexual assault (Tjaden, P. & Thoennes N. “Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women.” Washington D.C., National Institute of Justice, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Nov. 1998).
Women are most likely to be victims of a rape or an attempted rape between the ages 12 and 24. One in three to one in four women will be victims of rape or attempted rape during their college careers (Tjaden, P. & Thoennes N. “Incidence and Consequences of Violence Against Women.” Washington D.C., National Institute of Justice, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Nov. 1998).
Carroll College Statistics:
Stranger rape is rare. Over the past ten years all the reported rape victims at Carroll, except one, have known their assailants. They were either students in the victims’ classes, ex-dating partners, or acquaintances they knew from the resident halls, work, or other on and off-campus places.
Alcohol and sex don’t mix. Over the past nine years, without exception, alcohol was involved with every rape case except one; either one or both people involved in the rape had been drinking. Montana law says that an individual who is incapcitated in some way (drugs, alcohol, injury) CANNOT give consent. This means that you could technically be prosecuted for rape EVEN IF the victim consented but was incapcitated by alcohol or drugs.
How to End Rape at Carroll
We can eradicate rape at Carroll in just a few easy steps.
- Both men and women must party responsibly; if you have been drinking, neither of you can legally consent to sex: and sex without consent is--by definition--rape.
- Don’t let your hormones put your future in jeopardy. Abstaining from sex until you are in a committed relationship is the best guarantee of avoiding rape, but it may not be the choice everyone makes. If you choose to be sexually active and you see someone at a party that you would like to have sex with, wait at least one day. This will allow you (and them) to sober up and see if this really is something you want or just a bad idea induced by alcohol. AND hey, isn’t your career at Carroll, your degree, your scholarship, your reputation worth the pause?
- Being accused of rape is devastating--whether you are found guilty or not. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way by having sex while drunk or having sex with someone you hardly know (or by having sex at all). AND watch out for your friends: step in and let them know that you think they may be treading on dangerous ground. This may be an uncomfortable thing to say to a friend, but it’s better than watching them go through the agony of a rape trial.
- Being a victim of rape is devastating-whether you press charges or not. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way by impairing your ability to take care of yourself or by being alone with someone you hardly know. Neither of these choices is punishable by rape, but the truth is, rape happens more often when we drink or isolate ourselves. AND watch out for your friends: step in and let them know that you think they may be treading on dangerous ground. This may be an uncomfortable thing to say to a friend, but it is better than watching them go through the agony of rape.
Is someone you know a victim of dating violence?
Answer 'yes' or 'no' to each question:
- Is someone you know afraid of his/her partner’s temper ?
- Is someone you know afraid to disagree with his/her partner ?
- Is someone you know afraid of his or her partner’s violence toward others ?
- Has someone you know been shoved, kicked, hit or had things thrown at them ?
- Is someone you know limiting their time with family & friends because of a partner’s jealousy ?
- Has someone you know been forced to have sex ?
- Is someone you know forced to justify—to his or her partner—everything they do and everywhere they go ?
- Has someone you know been wrongfully accused of flirting with others ?
- Is someone you know afraid to go out without their partner’s permission ?
- Has someone you know become secretive or hostile to friends and parents because of this relationship ?
- Has someone you know been threatened by their partner ?
- Do you know someone who’s dating partner destroyed or damaged his/her property?
- Has someone you know been ridiculed or insulted by his/her dating partner ?
- Is someone you know being manipulated with lies or un-kept promises ?
- Is your friend dating someone who uses alcohol or drugs as an excuse for violent behavior ?
If you've answered "yes" to any of these questions, you know someone who may need the help of one of your counselors - Mike Franklin or Megan Patrick-Thompson (447-5441) or the Friendship Center (442-6800).