Date rape: The devil you know!!

DATE rape is the new sex crime facing Malaysian women. Last year, in more than 60 per cent of the 1,931 rape cases reported to police the attackers were known to their victims.


Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) refuge social worker Shoba Aiyar said they had many cases where victims had trusted the would-be rapists, but there were also those where ‘drugs’ were used.

“Last year, there was a case where spiked drinks were used on the victim who woke up in between two naked men in a hotel room. The victim knew the men through a friend and went out on a blind date with one of them.

“The victim didn’t realise that her drinks were spiked until she passed out.”


Many cases, she said, went unreported because the victim was too ashamed or couldn’t remember much of what had happened.

“I remember a victim who bore the child of her rapist before finally seeking help.”

She said WAO’s shelter receives between one and four rape victims a year. “Many are ashamed and traumatised but didn’t know where to get help. We usually get those raped a few months or more earlier."

She said victims should never blame themselves for what had happened, adding that Malaysian women are very trusting and this has been taken advantage of by some men.

“Some attacks were committed by ex-boyfriends who wanted to ‘teach’ the women a lesson while others were friends or colleagues.”

She said there is no best defence against date rapes, except educating the young about the crime and respect for another person’s body.

“In most cases, the young, especially men, didn’t seem to realise the seriousness of rape. Rape is not an impulsive crime or an over-spilling of sexual energy. It’s wrong,

“Any healthy relationship should involve respect for another person's body and sex should never be forced.”

MM says: “It pays to introduce your date to your best friend, office-mates, mummy & daddy, neighbourhood cops.”


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Cases on record

April 2006:
A Form 4 student from Mak Mandin claimed she was raped by a 20-year-old man on two occasions. The second incident occured in a vacant flat. The 16-year-old claimed she was first raped by the suspect in a car when she went out with him on a date several weeks ago.

A police source said the suspect had threatened the victim with exposure of a video he took when they had sex in the car if she refused to have sex with him again.

April 2006:
Parents of a Form 3 student lodged a missing persons report when she failed to return home for three days. She was later found gang-raped.

The 15-year-old went with a group of men who took her to a vacant house in Bukit Tambun where she was held captive and raped. Four suspects were detained.

August 1999:
For two weeks, a 15-year-old girl chatted on the Internet with a man. The cybermate managed to convince her to meet him at a pasar malam in Cheras.

He turned up on a motorcycle and invited her for a drink. The 19-year-old youth took her to a banana plantation where she was raped by four other men and held captive for 15 hours. Five suspects were arrested.

More:
Mmail Date rape: Why me?