Acquaintance Rape
Acquaintance rape occurs when someone you know forces you to have sexual intercourse with you, but without your consent. Stated refusals, such as saying "NO", "STOP" or "RAPE" powerfully communicate non-consent. Other circumstances, such as if you have passed out, are too intoxicated to give informed consent, too scared, or for any reason do not give consent, are considered against your will. Acquaintance rape can happen to both women and men: straight, gay, lesbian, or bisexual. Acquaintance rape violates the law, and University policy. Violations have and will be prosecuted and/or sanctioned.
Protection strategies
- Communicate your sexual limits clearly and assertively in potentially intimate situations
- Trust your intuition to tell you if you might be in a threatening situation; stay calm, act quickly, and try to get away.
- In critical situations, buy time, feign bizarre behavior and/or resist with full physical force.
- Try to stay with at least one other person in potentially risky circumstances.
- Going along with the assault may be your only choice to prevent escalating violence.This is not the same as giving consent.
If you are assaulted
Take care of your medical needs.
- First, go to a safe place. Get medical help if needed.
- Vaden Health Center offers medical exams, including sexually transmitted illnesses and pregnancy concerns. Other resources are below.
Take care of your emotional needs.
- Do not blame yourself; no one deserves to be raped.
- Seek emotional support from someone you trust.
- Call the YWCA Sexual Assault Center at Stanford. A counselor can be reached 24 hours a day at 723-3785 to help you get informed about your options and to provide support.
- Seriously consider informing a University official or campus police. Every reasonable effort will be made to protect your privacy and the confidentiality of information.
Helping a Friend who was assaulted
- Assure your friend that they did not deserve to be assaulted, no matter what the circumstances.
- Listen; don't ask a lot of questions or give advice
- Provide information about the resources below.
- Suggest options, but respect the person's decisions as to how to proceed.
Avoid being accused
- Remember that when people are intoxicated, they cannot give legal consent.
- Make sure that you and your partner both want the same degree of intimacy.
- Continuous consent, both verbal and non-verbal, can prevent misunderstandings and false assumptions. Check in and pace yourselves together.
- Never make assumptions about a person's sexual limits based on their behavior or dress.