TeenHelp - Rape education?

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I'm writing a report on rape prevention, and I want to know some opinions.

Do you think that education about rape would help prevent it? Rape is, in most cultures, a shunned thing. Even if the victim isn't considered a terrible person, in most societies, it is not adressed, and avoided to be talked about. Do you think if the topic was more talked about, and more prevention education was out there, the act of rape would decrease?
Tell honest opinions. I want to know what others think, especially victims.

Re: Rape education?

Honestly, any rape education needs to be aimed at males since they are almost always the rapists. Telling girls not to do this or that to avoid getting raped is rather unfair. Why should we have to prevent something that is done to us?

It's like trying to educate pedestrians/other drivers in order to lower the number of deaths caused by drink driving. There is no point in telling other people to stay off the road between the hours of x and x so they can avoid being hit by potential drunk drivers. You have to direct education at people who would engage in drink driving. So aiming rape education at males would be good.

I think it would also be helpful to educate people on what to do after they've been raped. So many rapes go unreported and it upsets me. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like, but I'm sure it would be so terrifying and you wouldn't be thinking clearly. But there are plenty of women who don't report rape even when it's repeated and I don't know why. So education on that might be helpful.

Re: Rape education?

Hey,
I am a survivor and I have very mixed feelings on the issue. My university has an anti rape campaign every fall and even though no one here knows about my past it kind of makes me feel like the whole school is rising up to support me and keep me safe. That being said, I think that there is probably some benefit in educating MEN about what Rape is, and the effect it has on women who are raped. (I use sexes because where I am from it is legally impossible for a person to rape another person on the same sex.)

I also kind of think though that there is not really a way that education is going to prevent most rapes. Frat boys are still going to get drunk and think that no means yes. People are still going to let lust overtake them, and I feel like the majority of people who assault someone don't actually care how it affects them. By educating I think we can probably give those who are assaulted a stronger support system, not actually prevent the assault.
Hope this helps!
Katie

Re: Rape education?

My college also has a sexual assault awareness program, although ours is all year round, and we do things like watch movies and then talk about the sexual assault that happened in it and how to prevent it.

I think education might help lower the rates of sexual assault(I'm being general, not just rape), but I don't think it will completely stop it. I think if there were high school assemblies on sexual assault, like the college talks about it, then it might help.

Re: Rape education?

Thanks so much for the comments! I also agree that many of the sexual assault awareness groups are filled with women, but many times the real people that need to see them is men. I also think that there needs to be more education to girls about how no means no. So many of my friends think there is that "point of no return" or "well, I was wearing a short skirt", when really there is NO justification of rape, period. But men need to be educated as well, about the affects of rape, about how to prevent rape, and what to do when raped also.