Date rape

Date rape is sexual activity without consent perpetrated by someone the victim knows, often during a date. It is sexual assault regardless of the relationship or setting.

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Sexual consent: Sexual consent is voluntary, informed, and ongoing agreement to participate in a specific sexual activity. Consent is the boundary that separates consensual sexual activity from assault.
Drug-facilitated sexual assault: Drug-facilitated sexual assault is sexual activity without consent enabled by intoxicating or incapacitating substances. Alcohol or other drugs may impair a person’s capacity to consent or resist.
Post-traumatic stress disorder: Post-traumatic stress disorder is a condition involving persistent distress and impairment after exposure to traumatic events. Some survivors develop PTSD symptoms, though responses to assault vary widely.
Bystander intervention: Bystander intervention is action taken by witnesses to prevent harm or support someone at risk. Intervening safely can disrupt escalating coercion or connect someone with help.
Rape culture: Rape culture describes social norms and practices that normalize sexual violence or excuse perpetrators. Minimizing acquaintance assault can reinforce norms that excuse coercion and undermine consent.
Sexual assault: Sexual assault is sexual contact or activity imposed without consent. Date rape is a form of sexual assault, not a separate kind of consent violation.
Alcohol myopia: Alcohol myopia is the narrowing of attention to immediate, salient cues while intoxicated. It helps explain how intoxication can impair judgment, but never transfers responsibility from the perpetrator.
Sexually transmitted infection: A sexually transmitted infection is an infection transmitted primarily through sexual contact. Medical care after an assault can include testing and prevention for sexually transmitted infections.
Sexual assault prevention: Sexual assault prevention comprises strategies that reduce the occurrence of nonconsensual sexual acts. Prevention addresses the behaviors and conditions that enable date rape.
Date rape drug: A date rape drug is a substance used to incapacitate someone for sexual assault, though alcohol is involved in many assaults. The phrase can misleadingly suggest drugging is central, when date rape does not require drugs.