Holistic Wisdom Corporation

Stranger Rape: What To Know
Inside A Rape & What A Victim Can Do To Prevent It

Lisa S. Lawless, Ph.D., CEO

Having been a rape crisis counselor, I am all too familiar with the risks for women and men when it comes to being attacked, raped or worse. Statistics show that 1 in 4 women will at some time in their lives be sexually assaulted. Statistics also state that over 70% of reported rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. However, this article will be focusing on the other 30% of those who are sexually assaulted or raped by a stranger.

If you are male and think that you can't be raped, you are wrong. Male rape is more common than you probably think and is most often done by an attacker(s) that is highly aggressive. It has NOTHING to do with sexual preference. About three percent of American men ( 2.78 million men) have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.

There are three types of assailants when it comes to rape as it breaks down into motivation.

1) Power       55%
2) Anger       40%
3) Sadistic     5%

Power Rape Attacks-

Rape is not about sexual needs, it is about meeting other emotional needs through sexual behavior. After having studied offenders, I can tell you that research shows these offenders find little if any sexual satisfaction in the act of rape. Their reactions often range from disappointment to disgust. When rapists discuss pleasure they speak of being aggressive and having power over their victim. Sexuality for a rapist is a means of compensating for underlying feelings of inadequacy and serves on a very dysfunctional level as a means to obtain a level of strength, control, authority, identity and capability.

Anger Rape Attacks-

This type of assault is characterized by physical brutality. Far more actual force is used in the offense than would be necessary if the intent were simply to overpower the victim and achieve penetration or sexual assault. These attackers consider rape the ultimate offense they can commit against another person. Most often these assaults will leave a victim not just sexually violated but physically battered and bruised due to the level of physical violence associated with anger based attacks.

Sadistic Rape Attacks-

For these offenders, there is a sexual transformation of anger and power so that the aggression itself is eroticized. The offender finds the intentional abuse of his victim intensely gratifying and takes pleasure in the victim's torment, anguish, distress, helplessness, and suffering. The assault usually involves bondage and torture and frequently has a bizarre or ritualistic quality. Sexual areas of the victim's body become a specific focus of injury or abuse. In extreme cases, there may be sexual mutilation of the victim's body or sexual intercourse with their corpse. Most victims of this type of rape are murdered.

Is There Such A Thing As Drug & Alcohol Induced Rape Attacks?

Intoxication reduces inhibitions, impairs reasoning and judgment, distorts contact with reality, and increases insensitivity to the impact of one 's behavior on others. But drugs and alcohol are not what causes an attacker to commit a rape. It may be a catalyst and play a contributing role, but it is not a causative one.

Where Do Rapes Usually Take Place?

About four out of ten sexual assaults take place at the victim�s own home.
Two in ten take place in the home of a friend, neighbor or relative.
One in ten take place outside, away from home.
And about one in 12 take place in a parking garage or area.
More than half of all rape/sexual assault incidents were reported by victims to have occurred within one mile of their home or at their home.

When Do Rapes Usually Take Place?

43% of rapes occur between 6 p.m. and midnight.
33% take place between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
24% occur between midnight and 6 a.m.

What To Do To Try And Prevent An Attack

Be cautious about your environment. Choose times during the day to be out and if you must be out at night when most attacks occur try not to be alone.
Let people know where you are and when they can expect you.
Carry a cell phone so that you can contact assistance quickly.
Lock doors on your car and home even if you are only going away for a little while. Make sure all locks are secure on extension doors.
Have the locks on all exterior doors re-keyed when you move into a new house or apartment, or when roommates or others with access to your home are no longer welcome.
Install a peephole viewer in the front door and get into the habit of checking it BEFORE you open the door... EVERY TIME.
Good lighting is a deterrent to crime. Install adequate exterior lighting at all entrances.
Don't open your door to strangers. Never let anyone into your house to use the phone, even for an emergency. Offer to make the call for them.
Request identification from all repairmen and maintenance people.
Don't advertise that you are home alone. Keep a light on in your home to make someone think that there are awake and alert people in the home at all times. Keep a light on in more than one room to make it appear that you may not be alone. Remember, most rapists and burglars are opportunists.
Always be alert. If you're harassed by someone, always head toward lights or people.
If you think you are being followed, DO NOT GO HOME, head to a police station or crowded place.
Don't hitchhike.
It is particularly important to be with people whom you know and can trust if you are under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
If you use Laundromats or other high risk areas, plan to go with a neighbor or friend.
Take special precautions when traveling, as tourists are generally more relaxed about their safety.

What To Do If You Are Being Attacked

Scream! It may startle your attacker and give you an opportunity to run away.
Kick off your shoes if you have on hard to run in shoes to be able to run faster.
Don't take time to look back; just get away.
If your life is in danger, passive resistance may be your best defense. An example of this is if you are in a place where no one will be able to help or hear you and you have a knife to your throat. It will be a hard call to make, but it may be the way to go. Use your intuition because it may be better to fight and ultimately you must decide the best way to get out of this.
Tell your attacker that you have a disease or are menstruating.
Vomiting or urinating may also convince the attacker to leave you alone.
Use physical force. Do not let them take you to a second location away from a place where you are more likely to get help. Often once that occurs you will not have another chance to escape and may lose your life. Hitting, scratching or biting may give you a chance to escape so be forceful as this may very well be a fight for your life. Again, there may be times when your life is directly threatened with a knife to your throat and no one can help you so use your instincts.
Understand that some actions on your part might lead to more harm. It is always difficult to know if one should cooperate or fight. Again, it is a matter of judgment. If you can, fight, yell and try and run. If you feel that being passive is the only way to survive then follow that gut feeling. There is no 100% fool proof way to know what an attacker has in mind, but if you decide to fight, do so hard and unrelenting until you are free. Remember, this can come down to your life depending on it.

What Should I Do If I've Been Raped?

If you're raped, you should first get to a safe place, away from your attacker. Then you should go to a hospital emergency room to be checked. You can call the police from the hospital. Don't bathe or change your clothes before you go to the hospital. Just get there as fast as you can.

At the hospital a doctor will need to do a blood test. Women will be checked for pregnancy and all rape victims are tested for diseases that can be passed through sex. Cultures of the cervix may be sent to a lab to check for disease. The results of these tests will come back in several days or a few weeks. You will also be given the option of a "Rape Kit," which are several ways doctors can get "evidence" such as semen, pubic hair, samples and clothing fibers to help track down and convict the rapist.

Also, take advantage of services that include hospital social workers, local rape crisis services, your local public health department and the state attorney general's office to help you emotionally and legally cope.

Sexual assault is an atrocious crime which is NEVER your fault. You cannot make some one rape you as this is their free will of which you are a victim.

What Is A Good Resource For Help With More Rape questions?