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Sexual Assault Awareness Month, choices through awareness

  • Published
  • By Melissa Porter
  • 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  Last fiscal year, nearly 2,700 sexual assault allegations involving military servicemembers were reported, according to a Department of Defense report. 

While the number is lower than the previous year, the Tyndall Sexual Assault Response Coordinator's office is working to ensure a continued decrease by promoting sexual assault prevention through increased awareness. 

The SARC's mission takes center stage during the month of April, which is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 

This year the SARC has teamed up with other Tyndall Air Force Base support agencies in a combined campaign highlighting all April observances, including the Month of the Military Child, National Child Abuse Prevention Month, National Alcohol Awareness Month and National Autism Awareness Month. 

The campaign, dubbed "Protecting Our Future Starts with Responsible Choices," focuses on individual choices as a key to prevention. 

"We go through each day making multiple decisions," said Phylista Dudzinski, 325th Fighter Wing Sexual Assault Response coordinator. "These decisions are the basis of our future as they take us down a specific path." 

Ms. Dudzinski said when making decisions, a person should ask these questions: Is this choice worth the risk? Are there other options? What are the possible consequences? 

"For instance, the decision to consume too much alcohol can make you more vulnerable to sexual assault," said Ms. Dudzinski. "Ultimately, a bad decision may take you down a road you don't want to be on." 

Alcohol was noted as a factor in 35 percent of substantiated sexual assault reports involving military members, according to the DoD report. 

Because of the direct correlation of alcohol use and sexual assault, the DoD released the 2008 Resource Guide for Sexual Assault Awareness Month, addressing 10 facts about this relationship: 

1. Research shows at least 80 percent of college students who had unwanted sex were under the influence of alcohol. 

2. Men are more likely than women to assume that a woman who drinks alcohol on a date is a willing sex partner. Forty percent of men who think this way also believe it is acceptable to force sex on an intoxicated woman. 

3. Alcohol consumption by perpetrators and victims tends to co-occur - that is, when one of them is drinking, the other one is generally drinking, too. 

4. Alcohol use can contribute to an atmosphere where anything goes, including rape by individuals or groups. 

5. Alcohol impairs judgment and lowers inhibitions, making some people more likely to commit a rape or sexual assault. 

6. Alcohol slows reflexes and impairs the ability to recognize potentially dangerous situations. 

7. Under the influence of alcohol, both men and women have a decreased ability to interpret social situations accurately. Consequently, the risk of sexual assault for both sexes increases with alcohol use. 

8. Although news media typically focus on Rohypnol, commonly referred to as "roofies," and GHB as rape drugs, alcohol is the substance most commonly used in drug-facilitated rapes. 

9. Alcohol intoxication can never be used as a legal defense for someone who commits sexual violence. 

10. Military law recognizes that when someone is passed out, she or he is unable to give consent. If you have sex with someone who is passed out or incapable of giving consent, it is considered sexual assault. 

"Understanding the relationship between alcohol use and sexual assault, and making smart decisions based on this information, is a step in the right direction in preventing sexual assault," said Ms. Dudzinski. 

In addition, you should consider the following dating safety tips: 

1. Arrange to meet your date. Don't be picked up from home or dormitory room.
2. Meet in a public place. If possible, double date or group date.
3. Go "Dutch" - there will be no obligation to the person who pays the bill.
4. Remember that alcohol affects judgment and lessens inhibitions. If drinking, keep the drink in sight at all times and don't drink to the point you don't know what is going on.
5. Don't assume just because a person claims to be religious that he or she is safe.
6. Listen to your gut. If something doesn't feel right, it probably isn't. If you haven't met the person before and you know at the beginning of the date you aren't interested, leave immediately.
7. Always let someone know where you are going and who you will be with. Consider arranging a time to call and check in or arrange to meet up with friends later that night. 

"You can never be too careful," said Ms. Dudzinski. "Protect your future and make responsible choices." 

If you have been a victim of sexual assault or know of a possible assault, or would like to learn more about the SARC program, call 283-8192. To report a sexual assault or seek assistance after hours, call 850-625-1231. 

Other important phone numbers: 

Law Enforcement Desk: 911 or 283-2254
Office of Special Investigations: 283-3261
Chaplain: 283-2925
Family Advocacy: 283-7274/7511
Salvation Army Domestic Violence and Rape Crisis Center: 769-7989