Alumni discusses dating violence in seminar
Helping the silent victim
Araina Edwards
Issue date: 2/23/09 Section: Entertainment
Ashley McDonough, a speaker for Bay Area Turning Point and San Jacinto alumni, paced back and forth in front of a small audience as she passionately spoke about dating violence and how it plagues society.
Dating violence can be attributed to more than sexual assault and is an equal opportunity crime experienced by people of different sexes, ages, races and educational levels.
"Power and control. I can't emphasize that enough," McDonough said.
Dating violence is about keeping the victim under control by use of intimidation, name calling, isolation, weapons, forced sex or battery.
McDonough said that when it comes to domestic violence and sexual assault, it is important for people to understand that it does happen, especially since many adopt the feeling that it cannot happen in their backyards.
In fact, stranger assaults only account for 25 percent of sexual assault victims. That means 75 percent of assault victims know their attacker.
McDonough said one particular figure about campus violence that may hit closer to home for college students, of those polled, 51 percent of college males admitted to perpetrating one or more sexual assault incidents during college.
According to Eurekalert.org, a University of Illinois at Chicago study reported that 62 percent of the estimated 100,000 reported assaults in the United States are considered drug facilitated sexual assaults.
Some common date-rape drugs include ketamine, which is a horse tranquilizer and often referred to as "special k," rohypnol, the original date-rape drug that carries the street name "roche" and GHB, commonly referred to as liquid ecstasy and the most popular drug to mix with alcohol.
Domestic violence and sexual assault leaves victims not physically dead but emotionally a part of them has died, McDonough said. It is the only murder in which the victim is still alive.
Domestic violence can take over a person's life and sometimes victims may not recognize they are in unhealthy relationships.
Dating violence can be attributed to more than sexual assault and is an equal opportunity crime experienced by people of different sexes, ages, races and educational levels.
"Power and control. I can't emphasize that enough," McDonough said.
Dating violence is about keeping the victim under control by use of intimidation, name calling, isolation, weapons, forced sex or battery.
McDonough said that when it comes to domestic violence and sexual assault, it is important for people to understand that it does happen, especially since many adopt the feeling that it cannot happen in their backyards.
In fact, stranger assaults only account for 25 percent of sexual assault victims. That means 75 percent of assault victims know their attacker.
McDonough said one particular figure about campus violence that may hit closer to home for college students, of those polled, 51 percent of college males admitted to perpetrating one or more sexual assault incidents during college.
According to Eurekalert.org, a University of Illinois at Chicago study reported that 62 percent of the estimated 100,000 reported assaults in the United States are considered drug facilitated sexual assaults.
Some common date-rape drugs include ketamine, which is a horse tranquilizer and often referred to as "special k," rohypnol, the original date-rape drug that carries the street name "roche" and GHB, commonly referred to as liquid ecstasy and the most popular drug to mix with alcohol.
Domestic violence and sexual assault leaves victims not physically dead but emotionally a part of them has died, McDonough said. It is the only murder in which the victim is still alive.
Domestic violence can take over a person's life and sometimes victims may not recognize they are in unhealthy relationships.
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