Rethinking Sexual Assault Prevention Tips

Sexual assault prevention tips are common in Canada, which is not surprising given the high rates of sexualized violence. Tips are passed on by friends, family members, therapists, police officers, teachers, and others who presumably intend to decrease the risk of being sexually assaulted. In this sense, tips may be considered helpful. Or, at the very least, they are thought to do no harm.

However, some sexual assault centres and other sexual violence activists are questioning not only the usefulness and effectiveness of these personal safety tips but also the impact they have on people who have experienced sexualized violence.

Chances are, you have been given or have heard sexual assault prevention tips. Common safety tips include:
- don't walking alone
- watch your drink
- take a self defense course
- avoid alcohol / intoxication
- don't go home with, or accept rides or drinks from strangers
- be aware of your surroundings
- walk confidently and with a steady pace
- clearly communicate your boundaries with dates

There are also a host of safety tips that are circulated through email, based upon urban myths, such as:
- perpetrators soak business cards with drugs in order to incapacitate their victims
- perpetrators target women wearing a certain hair style (ponytail, bun, braid) because it can be easily grabbed
- perpetrators target women wearing overalls because the straps can be easily cut
- a drug used to sterilize women is being used during sexual assaults to prevent identifying the perpetrator through paternity tests

Safety prevention tips are usually directed at women, even though men too can experience sexual assault.

As well, tips are connected to sexual assault myths. For instance, tips focusing on stranger sexual assault (such as not walking home alone, being aware of one's surroundings and not accepting rides, drinks or going home with strangers) perpetuate the myth that the majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by strangers.

However, across Canada, 85% of adolescent and adult sexual assaults are perpetrated by someone the person knows (1); they are friends, family members, co-workers, spouses, dates, etc. A person is more likely to be sexually assaulted by someone they know and ask to walk home with them for 'safety' than they are to be sexually assaulted by a stranger.

The safety tip that tells people to clearly communicate their sexual boundaries is based on the myth that sexual assault is a result of miscommunication. This is simply not true. People who have experienced sexualized violence communicate 'no' in a variety of ways, even if they do not actually say "no". They may freeze, cry, try to keep their clothes on, or say things like "I have a boy/girlfriend", "I'm not in the mood", or "not now".

People who are not offenders will check in with their partner and obtain consent before engaging in or continuing sexual contact. On the other hand, perpetrators will continue to force sexual contact, even when the person has not given consent. Offenders may also coerce the other person into saying "yes" by constantly putting pressure on them or making them feel guilty. A "yes" given under coercion is not a true yes, and thus is not consent.

It is also a myth that taking a safety defense course will help people fight off an offender. However, in many cases, people freeze during a traumatic event, such as a sexual assault (2, 3, 4). This is a psychological coping mechanism that one has no control over and it exists to help blunt the full emotional horror or helplessness of the trauma.

Studies have found that people are less likely to fight back during a sexual assault if they know the offender (5), which is the majority of the time. Their reasons for not fighting back include fear of further violence and feeling embarrassed (6,7). People who are being sexually assaulted are also more likely to freeze if they have prior histories of sexual assault or abuse (8), or if they are consuming alcohol (9), which commonly occurs in acquaintance sexual assaults.

Another problem with safety tips is that they can increase self-blame in individuals who have experienced sexualized violence, as well as victim-blaming by others, especially if the person who was assaulted engaged in behaviours considered 'risky' (10).

For instance, if a person was sexually assaulted while drinking alcohol, they may be considered partly to blame for 'not being careful enough' (11). Similarly, individuals who have been sexually assaulted may blame themselves for the assault, and subsequently not access supports, such as telling a friend or going to counselling.

It is sometimes argued that safety tips decrease one's fear of being sexually assaulted because people feel they have 'tools' to avoid or resist an assault. However, research has found that this is not the case (12) and that in fact personal safety tips increase fear of sexual assault (13).

Fear can cause women to restrict their behaviour (14, 15, 16) which can cause a 'fear loop'; that is, the more a person restricts their behaviour, the more fearful they become, hence restricting their behaviour even more (17). As most personal safety tips are directed towards women, they can be viewed as a way of controlling women's behaviour, and holding them responsible for their own safety - versus holding sexual offenders accountable.

So how do we prevent sexual assault without perpetuating victim-blaming beliefs?

Education in and of itself does not have to victim-blame. That is, we can talk about the dynamics of sexualized violence without providing personal safety tips. For instance, instead of telling people to avoid alcohol lest they be sexually assaulted, we can talk about how offenders use alcohol to incapacitate their victims.

We can provide information on consent, coercion, and power, and that sex is used as a weapon versus the myth that sexual assault is caused by 'uncontrollable sexual urges'. We can similarly challenge gender roles and sexual scripts which view sex as a 'conquest' and something that people are entitled to.

Indeed, debunking myths is an important part of sexual assault education, as it demonstrates how these myths place the responsibility on the person who experienced the assault, versus the offender.

By moving away from personal safety tips we can help decrease the victim-blaming that is so prevalent in our society, and actually get to the root of the issue - power and control. Whereas tips reinforce myths and other beliefs that perpetuate sexualized violence, holding offenders solely accountable will make sexual assault less acceptable in Canadian society.


References:

(1) Statistics Canada (2005). Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile

(2) Haskell, L. (2003). First stage trauma treatment: A guide for mental health practitioners working with women. Toronto, ON: Centre for Addiction and Mental Health

(3) Herman, J. L. (1992). Trauma and recovery: The aftermath of violence - from domestic abuse to political terror. New York, NY: Basicbooks.

(4) Levine, P. (1997). Waking the tiger, healing trauma. Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books.

(5) Turchik, J.A., Probst, D.R., Chau, M., Nigoff, A. & Gidycz, C.A. (2007). Factors predicting the type of tactics used to resist sexual assault: A prospective study of college women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 75(4), 605-614.

(6) Bart & O'Brien, as cited in Rozee, P.D. (2008). Women's fear of rape: Causes, consequences and coping. In J. C. Chrisler, C. Golden & P.D. Rozee (Eds.) Lectures on the psychology of women (4th edition) (p. 322-277). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.

(7) Rozee, P.D. & Koss, M.P. (2001). Rape: A century of resistance. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 295-311.

(8) van der Kolk, B.A., Pelcovitz, D., Roth, S., Mandel, F.S., McFarlane, A. & Herman, J.L. (1996). Dissociation, affect dysregulation and somatization: The complex nature of adaptations to trauma. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153(7; suppl), 83-93.

(9) Davis, K. C., George, W. H. & Norris, J. (2004). Women's responses to unwanted sexual advances: The role of alcohol and inhibition conflict. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 28, 333-343.

(10) Berkowitz, 1992, as cited in Rozee, P.D. & Koss, M.P. (2001). Rape: A century of resistance. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 295-311.

(11) Crawford, E., O'Dougherty, M. & Birchmeier, Z. (2008). Drug-facilitated sexual assault: College women's risk perception and behavioral choices. Journal of American College Health, 57(3), 261-272.

(12) Gidycz, C. A., Rich, C. L., Orchowski, L., King, C. & Miller, A. K. (2006). The evaluation of a sexual assault self-defense and risk-reduction program for college women: A prospective study. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 30, 173-186.

(13) Rozee, P. D. (2008). Women's fear of rape: Causes, consequences and coping. In J.C. Chrisler, C. Golden & P.D. Rozee (Eds.) Lectures on the psychology of women (4th edition) (pp. 322-377).

(14) Hall, R. (2004). It can happen to you: Rape prevention in the age of risk management. Hypatia, 19(3), 1-19.

(15) Bardos & Fakinos, 1993, as cited in Hickman, S. E. & Muehlenhard, C. L. (1997). College women's fears and precautionary behaviors relating to acquaintance rape and stranger rape. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 21, 527-547.

(16) Stanko, 1993, as cited in Rozee, P. D. & Koss, M. P. (2001). Rape: A century of resistance. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 295-311.

(17) Liska, Sanchirico & Reed, 1988, as cited in Ferraro, K. F. (1996). Women's fear of victimization: Shadow of sexual assault. Social Forces, 75(2), 667-690.