The first time I underwent education to prevent rape was in 7th grade. I was 11 years old. The girls PE class was given a week of training. We learned things like being highly observant of our surroundings, basic ways to physically fight off an attacker, and had to practice seeing a license plate for 3 seconds, memorizing it, and then repeating the number at the end of class.
Since then, I have attended self-defense workshops, have completed research about rape in the military, and testified before the Legislature about ways to reduce rape.
But let’s be honest, the current approach to preventing rape simply doesn’t work. The fact that 1 in four or five (the number is debatable) women will be raped in their lifetime in the U.S., the fact that nearly 20,000 men will be raped while serving their country this year, and the fact that kids are raped every day by people they trust means our rape curricula are massive failures.
So, I am proposing a new anti-rape curriculum. Instead of teaching people how to protect themselves from rape, let’s focus on the people who rape.
RAPE CURRICULUM – PUTTING THE FOCUS ON THE PURPOTRATERS
Old Lesson: Don’t leave your drink unattended at a party or bar.
New Lesson: Don’t put anything in someone’s drink that will make them easier to rape.
Old Lesson: Don’t walk alone at night, and always be very aware of your surroundings.
New Lesson: If you might be tempted to rape someone at night, please don’t walk alone. Find an adult who doesn’t rape to escort you.
Old Lesson: Dress conservatively and wear shoes you can run in.
New Lesson: If you don’t think you can stop yourself from raping, buy a chastity cage, lock yourself in it, and freeze the key in a block of ice before leaving the house.
Old Lesson: Places where people are using alcohol and drugs are more likely to be places where you can be raped. Don’t drink or do drugs and stay aware of your surroundings.
New Lesson: If you are unsure of what your rape-y behavior will be like when your are using drugs or alcohol, don’t use drugs or alcohol. Additionally, lock yourself in a chastity cage before going to a party and freeze the key in ice.
Old Lesson: Carefully screen everyone who ever comes in contact with your children. Install nanny-cams and complete extensive background checks to keep your kids safe.
New Lesson: If, as an adult, you ever think a minor is an appropriate sexual object, get medically sterilized and don’t have kids. Don’t take a job where you will be around children. Don’t date anyone with children under 18. Disclose your desires to people you are around who have kids.
Old Lesson: Buy and wear nail polish that detects date-rape drugs in drinks when you go to parties.
New Lesson: Don’t buy date rape drugs. While we are at it, let’s make a law that holds the person who sells any drugs used in a rape equally responsible for the rape. Not an accessory, but fully responsible for any rape that occurs from someone using the drugs you sold them to rape someone. Possession of such drugs with intent to sell should be accompanied by a charge and sentence for the number or rapes that could potentially occur with the amount of date rape drugs you possess.
Old Lesson: Figure out what objects you carry that can be used as weapons against an attacker.
New Lesson: If you possess anything that could be used as a weapon in a rape, get rid of it. Don’t carry it, don’t own it. If you have a propensity toward rape and possess anything that could be used as a weapon in a rape, let’s charge you with “pre-meditated rape” and increase the sentence like we do with pre-meditated murder.
Old Lesson: If you are raped, report it and get medical and psychological counselling for its impacts (currently, this is largely paid for by the victim and their insurance).
New Lesson: If you rape, you will be charged the full price of all medical and psychological counseling to help the victim and their family recover from your attack. The IRS will seize your assets and garnish your wages until the care is fully paid for.
Its time we stopped placing all the responsibilities on people who are raped and start placing the responsibility to not rape where it belongs – on rapists. Maybe if we actually made people responsible for their actions rather than saying someone’s skirt was too short, or she was drunk, of the kid was just too sexy, we could change a few things.