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Dating Violence
Dating violence is when one person purposely causes physical
or psychological harm to another person they are dating, including
sexual assault, physical abuse, and psychological/emotional
abuse. It is a serious crime that occurs in both casual and
serious relationships, and in both heterosexual and same-sex
relationships. Sometimes, a victim might unknowingly be given
alcohol or so called "date rape" drugs (USDHHS, 2009a).
These are drugs that are sometimes used to assist a sexual
assault. Sexual assault is any type of sexual activity that
a person does not agree to. It can include inappropriate touching,
vaginal, anal or oral penetration, sexual intercourse, rape,
and attempted rape. The drugs often have no color, smell,
or taste and are easily added to flavored drinks without the
victim's knowledge. These drugs can cause the victim to be
weak, confused, lose consciousness. Because of these effects,
victims may be physically helpless, unable to refuse sex,
and may not remember what happened while drugged. Date rape
drugs are used on both females and males. The victim is then
left to deal with the trauma of the sexual assault and the
uncertainty surrounding the specifics of the crime. Unfortunately,
most cases of dating violence are not reported to the police
(USDHHS, 2009a; USDHHS, 2008a).
These drugs also are known as "club drugs" because they tend
to be used at dance clubs, concerts, and raves. There are
at least three common date rape drugs (USDHHS, 2008a):
- GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid)
- Rohypnol (flunitrazepam)
- Ketamine (ketamine hydrochloride)
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Case Study
5. Tiffany
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Tiffany is 20 year old college student. Last year
at a dorm party (where Tiffany knew almost all of
the people who attended the party) she awoke in a
friend's room, under a pile of coats with no clothes
on. She doesn't remember at all what happened that
night, except when she awoke, there were others sleeping
in the room on the floor and her genital area was
sore, wet and sticky. She got dressed and ran back
to her own room to find her best friend and roommate.
Tiffany cried with her roommate and together they
called the police. The police officers brought her
to the emergency room. In talking with the nurse in
the emergency department, Tiffany learned that she
had probably been victimized through the use of so-called
"date rape drugs".
Since that night, Tiffany has had a number of emotional
responses; some of them very distressing. She started
therapy because of difficulty with trust. She knew
all the people at the party; someone she knew had
drugged her and raped her; she just was so depressed
when she thought about it.
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The term "date rape" is widely used. But most experts prefer
the term "drug-facilitated sexual assault." These drugs also
are used to help people commit other crimes, like robbery
and physical assault. The term "date rape" also can be misleading
because the person who commits the crime might not be dating
the victim. Rather, it could be an acquaintance or stranger
(USDHHS, 2008a).
GHB
GHB, short for gamma hydroxybutyric acid is also known
as (USDHHS, 2008b):
- Bedtime Scoop
- Cherry Meth
- Easy Lay
- Energy Drink
- G
- Gamma 10
- Georgia Home Boy
- G-Juice
- Gook
- Goop
- Great Hormones
- Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH)
- Liquid E
- Liquid Ecstasy
- Liquid X
- PM
- Salt Water
- Soap
- Somatomax
- Vita-G
GHB takes effect in about 15 minutes and can last 3 or 4
hours. It is very potent, so overdose is not uncommon. Most
GHB is made by people in home or street labs making it difficult
to know exactly what is in it or what symptoms it can cause.
Generally, GHB can cause the following (USDHHS, 2008a):
- Relaxation
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Problems seeing
- Unconsciousness (black out)
- Seizures
- Can't remember what happened while drugged
- Problems breathing
- Tremors
- Sweating
- Vomiting
- Slow heart rate
- Dream-like feeling
- Coma
- Death
Rohypnol
Rohypnol is the trade name for flunitrazepam. Abuse
of two similar drugs appears to have replaced Rohypnol abuse
in some parts of the United States. These are: clonazepam
(marketed as Klonopin in the U.S.and Rivotril in Mexico) and
alprazolam (marketed as Xanax). Rohypnol is also known as:
- Circles
- Forget Pill
- LA Rochas
- Lunch Money
- Mexican Valium
- Mind Erasers
- Poor Man's Quaalude
- R-2
- Rib
- Roach
- Roach-2
- Roches
- Roofies
- Roopies
- Rope
- Rophies
- Ruffies
- Trip-and-Fall
- Whiteys
The effects of Rohypnol can be felt within 30 minutes of
being drugged and can last for several hours. Rohypnol can
cause the following (USDHHS, 2008a):
- Can't remember what happened while drugged
- Lower blood pressure
- Sleepiness
- Muscle relaxation or loss of muscle control
- Drunk feeling
- Nausea
- Problems talking
- Difficulty with motor movements
- Loss of consciousness
- Confusion
- Problems seeing
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Stomach problems
Ketamine
Ketamine is also known as (USDHHS, 2008a):
- Black Hole
- Bump
- Cat Valium
- Green
- Jet
- K
- K-Hole
- Kit Kat
- Psychedelic Heroin
- Purple
- Special K
- Super Acid
Ketamine is very fast-acting. The victim might be aware of
what is happening, but be unable to move. Because it also
causes memory problems, the victim might not be able to remember
what happened while drugged. Ketamine can cause the following
(USDHHS, 2008a):
- Distorted perceptions of sight and sound
- Lost sense of time and identity
- Out of body experiences
- Feeling out of control
- Impaired motor function
- Problems breathing
- Convulsions
- Vomiting
- Memory problems
- Dream-like feeling
- Numbness
- Loss of coordination
- Aggressive or violent behavior
- Slurred speech
- High blood pressure
- Depression
IPV/DV in Same-Sex Relationships
Generally, it is thought that the prevalence of IPV/DV among
lesbians, gay men, bi-sexuals and transgendered individuals
(LGBT) is roughly the same as for heterosexual women. However,
given that accurate statistics for heterosexual IPV/DV is
difficult to obtain and interpret, it is even more difficult
with same-sex partners because of the additional layer of
secrecy that being homosexual may require for many LGBT persons.
Thus, the learner should keep in mind that the numbers are
likely to be much higher than reported. Additionally, for
a host of reasons, including heterosexism and transphobia,
there is relatively little scientific research that has been
done on the topic of LGBT IPV/DV (NCAVP, 2008).
There were 3,319 reported incidents of intimate partner violence
affecting lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered individuals
(LGBT) individuals in 2007. This was a decrease (-13%) over
the 3,839 incidents reported by National Coalition of Anti
Violence Project (NCAVP) members in 2006 (NCAVP, 2008). (Note:
The NCAVP is comprised of 16 organizations, representing 14
regions in the US, who participated in developing this report,
submitting statistical data for 2007 and/or written summaries,
narratives, or other information. Those regions include Tucson,
AZ; San Francisco, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Colorado; Chicago,
IL; Boston, MA; Kansas City, MO; New York, NY; Columbus, OH;
Philadelphia, PA; Houston, TX; Virginia; Seattle, WA; and
Milwaukee, WI.)
[Click the image below to enlarge.]
(New York Anti-Violence Project, email to webmaster@apv.org,
2009)
Barriers to addressing LGBT intimate
partner violence (both for service providers and survivors)
include (NCADV, n.d.a):
- The belief that domestic violence
does not occur in LGBT relationships and/or is a gender
based issue;
- Societal anti-LGBT bias (homophobia,
biphobia and transphobia);
- Lack of appropriate training regarding
LGBT domestic violence for service providers;
- A fear that airing of the problems
among the LGBT population will take away from progress toward
equality or fuel anti-LGBT bias.
- Domestic violence shelters are
typically female only, thus transgender people may not be
allowed entrance into shelters or emergency facilities due
to their gender/genital/legal status.
Continue on to Barriers
To Identification Of Violence
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