CRIME Victims advocate says alcohol is No. 1 drug used in sex assaults

The lecture dealt with date-rape prevention and resources to help victims.
By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. -- The drug Ecstasy gets most of the headlines in cases involving date-rape, but alcohol remains the most dangerous drug used in sexual assaults, says a victims-rights advocate.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Slippery Rock University has hosted several programs and set up numerous information tables this month to increase awareness of the problem and to provide resources to address it.
One event was an hourlong lecture, "Lethal Doses,"on Wednesday in the University Student Union building. The presentation focused on the dangers of several date-rape drugs, as well as steps that can be taken to prevent the crime and various resources available to help victims.
What was presented
Lisa Russo, a victims advocate with The Bridge Project, an on-campus group, discussed in her lecture several drugs that are sometimes used in the beginning stages of sexual assaults.
She also outlined various characteristics many offenders display as well as some prevention techniques.
The Bridge Project, part of the Butler County-based Victim Outreach Intervention Center, started last year and it conducts programs to train SRU staff and students to be aware of and sensitive to the issue of violence against women.
VOICe also has workshops for those in preschool through college to educate them about sexual assault and other similar crimes.
Russo said alcohol is the No. 1 date-rape drug because it is legal, readily available and can decrease a person's inhibitions.
Date-rape drugs like Ecstasy are often slipped into alcohol and other drinks to subdue and render victims helpless, setting them up to be sexually assaulted. A day or so later, victims usually have no memory of what happened, and this makes the crime tougher to prosecute.
Other facts
Russo noted that consent is not implied even when a victim under the influence of drugs and alcohol says yes to a sexual offer.
She also discussed what some of the date-rape drugs taste like and what they do to the victims.
Russo said many rapists share certain personality traits, including a hostility toward women, a lack of empathy, an effort to appear confident to hide low self-esteem, and an unhealthy need for power and control over others.
"Rapists are bullies that just grew up," Russo said.
She pointed out some steps women and men can take to decrease the likelihood of becoming sexual assault victims.
In social situations, it's important to form a "buddy system," where those in the group watch out for each other, she said. People should not leave their drinks unattended and should refrain from allowing strangers to buy their drinks for them, she added.
If you're a sexual assault victim, don't take a shower or a bath because important evidence for a rape kit could be destroyed, Russo stressed. Instead, get to a doctor and report the crime, she said.
Friends, family members and others can help victims heal by believing their story, listening nonjudgmentally, telling them that what happened is not their fault, and encouraging them to seek medical attention, Russo noted.
Other SRU events earlier this month included lectures on sexual assault and a Day to End Sexual Violence open house April 20 in the women's center.