Date Rape

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

As you have noticed most articles we write, have some sort of humor attached. This subject is as heinous as it sound. Academy award winner Helen Mirren was recently in news when she publicly admitted she was date raped 40 years back. There has been lots of criticism around her statement - "If a woman engaged in sexual activity but said no at the last second, she did not think the woman can have that man into court".

The way we acted and reacted upon sensitive issues like rape 40 years back has undergone a complete metamorphosis and such views violate the current orthodoxy that, when it comes to sexual consent, no means no.

People say that those who have been raped were somehow "asking for it" because of the clothes they wore or the way they acted. That's wrong and I personally find it ridiculous. Whether there is sexual provocation or alcohol or drugs involved it doesn't matter, if you violate someone or involve in sexual acts without consent that's rape. Recently in news, was this guy who look for people in Match.com and PlentyOfFish.com, then invite them to his home for dinner and would drug them by mixing something in their drink and eventually rape them.

Did you know that there is a product that has made date-rape drugs less threatening to American women, the Drink Safe Coaster, created by Drink Safe Technologies, Inc., can detect if GHB, Ketamine or other common date rape drugs have contaminated beverages. Now will a product like this is going to reduce date rape, probably not but its good to know that there is collective thought process and people are thinking on solutions for safe dating experiences.