According to the National Victim Center, approximately 80 percent of rapes involve people the victim knows. The following tips may help you protect yourself from sexual assault:

1. Plan where you’re going and how you’re getting home. Let friends or family know the plan: Where you will be and at what times.

2. If it is a “blind date,” try to double with another couple.

3. If you are at a party, be cautious about accepting a ride or escort home from a person you have just met or do not know well, no matter how charming that person might be. If a person insists or pressures you to accept a ride, become suspicious.

4. Use alcohol in moderation and keep a close eye on your drink at all times. Alcohol is the most widely used date rape drug and can impair judgment. Keep Your Wits.

5. Be aware of your surroundings. Remain aware and in control.

6. Avoid letting someone take you to remote, dark, or secluded places, including your date’s home or apartment.

7. In a dating situation, define exactly what you want from the relationship. If what you want changes, say so. You have the right to change your mind.

8. Be assertive. Set clear limits regarding what you consider to be acceptable behavior. Be confident, believe and act as if you come first. You do.

9. Be verbal about your wishes. Say “NO!” when you want to say no and “yes” when you want to say yes. Demand that your feelings and expressions are respected. Many people do not understand that silence means no, so it is important to be verbal.

10. TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS AND FEELINGS. If you feel you’re being pressured into unwanted sex, you’re probably right. If you feel threatened, take action—before the potential attacker does.

Additional Info:

• A prior or current relationship or previous acts of intimacy are insufficient indicators of consent.
• Verbal consent must be obtained both in each instance of sexual intimacy and as the level of sexual intimacy increases (e.g., moving from kissing to petting, from petting to oral sex, from oral sex to intercourse, etc.).
• If you have been a victim of a sexual assault either by a stranger, acquaintance, or intimate partner, know that there is help out there. Seek it.

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