Date rape – true or false?
Print this out, write down your responses, then check the answers.
1. Most people who are raped are raped by someone they know.
True / False
2. It’s only legally defined as rape if there is sexual penetration.
True / False
3. Date rape refers only to rape committed by a person you’ve just met (e.g. at a party).
True / False
4. Girls, not guys, are responsible for consenting to sex.
True / False
5. It’s possible for a guy to rape his girlfriend.
True / False
6. Date rape only happens to women.
True / False
7. Girls who’ve been raped shouldn’t tell anyone or they’ll get a bad reputation.
True / False
8. It’s OK for girls to dress sexy.
True / False
9. Once a guy gets ‘turned on’ he can’t stop.
True / False
10. When a girls says no she means it.
True / False
11. Being pressured into having sex when you don’t want to is OK if you’ve been going out for a while.
True / False
12. Girls who’ve been raped get over it quickly.
True / False
13. If a guy uses a condom it isn’t rape.
True / False
14. Alcohol is the most common date rape drug.
True / False
15. If a guy buys a girl dinner, she ‘owes him’ sex.
True / False
ANSWERS to ‘Date rape – true or false?’
1. True – a staggering 90% of people are raped by someone they know.
2. False – rape includes many other sexual acts (e.g. oral sex, unwanted touching up).
3. False – it can happen in longer-term relationships as well, or be committed by people you’ve known for a long time (e.g. a friend of the family).
4. False – both partners need agree to have sex together. Also, a girl shouldn’t have to be the one who says no – and guys can say no too.
5. True – it’s entirely possible and does happen. Just because you’re going out with someone doesn’t mean they can have sex with you against your will.
6. False – it happens to guys as well. It is thought that about 5% of all date rape happens to guys.
7. False – Telling someone is a normal thing to do, and nobody gets a bad reputation for being raped.
8. True – Of course it is. Sex is natural and being sexy is fine. Getting the wrong message and raping someone is not.
9. False – It’s easy and natural to get aroused by someone else, but it’s controllable. It is no excuse for raping someone.
10. True – It’s hard enough for many girls to be confident enough to say no in the first place. If they say it, they really do mean it.
11. False – No matter how long you’ve been in a relationship with someone it’s never OK to be pressured into having sex against your will.
12. False – Nobody gets over rape quickly, but there are many ways to deal with it over time.
13. False – If sex is against one’s will, it is rape. Wearing a condom or not makes no difference.
14. True – Slipping drugs into drinks does happen but it’s rare compared to adding extra alcohol or giving someone more drinks than they realise.
15. False – She doesn’t owe him sex at all. If the dinner went well, then things may develop or they may not, but whatever happens must be with the agreement of both people.
Your score
1-4. You need to wake up.
5-8. You’ve got an idea but you should get more informed.
9-12. Not bad. Keep learning.
13-15. Excellent. You obviously keep your eyes open.
