1. Jean Nidetch Women’s Center and
P.A.A.V.E. (Peers Advocating Anti-Violence
Education)
Present:

2.  Workshops and presentations
 Events on campus
 Advocacy for violence prevention and
breast cancer awareness
 Academic involvement
 Four on staff, certified victim advocates

3.  Formerly known as SAFE Team, began in
2002
 Presenters complete an
18-hour training on domestic violence, sexual
assault, and stalking

4.  Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Alcohol
Facilitated Sexual Assault
 Definitions
 Consent
 Statistics
 Effects on Victims
 Rethinking Violence
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqHYeCLBG6s&playnext=1
&list=PL66015E1E63A0A300

5.  The F.B.I. estimates that one in three women in this
country will be sexually assaulted in her lifetime.
 According to the National College Health Risk
Behavior Survey, one in five undergraduate women
have been raped.
 In the majority of rape cases, 84%, the perpetrator is
someone the victim knows- a partner, spouse,
classmate, date, co-worker, neighbor, or family
member.

6.  Sexual assault is a broader category that the Justice
Department uses to classify rape, attempted rape
and other violent felonies that fall short of rape.

7.  Nevada Revised Statutes: Sexual Assault
“A person who subjects another person to sexual
penetration, or who forces another person to make a
sexual penetration on himself or another, against the
victim’s will or under conditions in which the
perpetrator knows or should know that the victim is
mentally or physically incapable of resisting or
understanding the nature of his conduct, is guilty of
sexual assault”

8.  Consent?
 Physically Unable?
 Unconscious
 Physically powerless
 Unable to Communicate
 Helpless
 Unaware
 Physically Disabled

9. Mentally Unable?
 Incapacitated
 Mentally incapable of resisting or consenting
Degree of intoxication
 Were the victims motor skills impaired?
 Was the victim able to perceive what was happening
around them?
 Who gave the victim the drinks or drugs?
 Was it the accused?
 Did accused encourage the victim to drink or use more
drugs?

10. What is consent?
Both parties are fully conscious.
Both parties have equal ability to act.
Both parties are positive and sincere in their desires.
Both parties have clearly communicated their intent.
 Fear of Rejection
 May hear partner is a survivor
 May not know how

11.  Hypothetical situations…
 “What if we…”
 “How would you feel if we…”
 “What do you think about…”
 I statements…
 Coercion is NOT consent

12. Did victim:
 Vomit?
 Urinate?
 Defecate?
Could victim:
 Walk?
 Talk?
 Did victim have to be helped with physical tasks?
Did defendant:
 Carry victim?
 Follow victim?

13. Ethanol And Blackouts
 Blackout: Periods of memory loss for events that transpired while
a person was drinking
 (no loss of consciousness- not passed out)
 Ethanol induced memory impairment includes disruption to the
hippocampus which plays a central role in formation of new
memory.
Ethanol And Passouts
 Alcohol-induced unconsciousness
 Not asleep, but sedated-due to CNS depressant effect
 Resembles sedated state associated with surgery
 Can last for hours
 Groggy-sedated feeling can linger for 24 hours

15. Victim is too drunk to consent for 1 of 3 reasons:
 Surreptitious administration by assailant
 Mixing of prescription or over the counter
drugs with alcohol or recreational drugs
 Recreational use by victim

16. Alcohol is the most common drug used to facilitate
sexual assaults- particularly among college students. As
opposed to other drugs (such as GHB and Rohypnol) that
are often given to victims without their knowledge,
alcohol is often consumed consensually.
Perpetrators often take advantage of victims who are
already intoxicated, or purposefully get a target drunk in
order to facilitate a sexual assault. These perpetrators
most often have had much less to drink than the victim
and in some cases have not consumed alcohol at all.

17.  Alcohol alone
 Alcohol mixed with drugs surreptitiously
administered by assailant
 Alcohol mixed with prescription, over the
counter drugs
 Alcohol mixed with recreational drugs
* synergistic effect of combining drugs

18. Synergistic Effect
 The interaction of two or more substances or
other agents to produce a combined effect
that is greater than the sum of their separate
effects

19. The Reality
 Approximately 50% of all sexual assaults are committed
by a man who has been drinking.
(Abbey et al. (2004))
 In a nationwide survey of college students, 68% of sexual
assaults involved alcohol consumption by the offender.
(Fisher et al. (2003))
 Is there any evidence the accused selected victim because
they knew they would be an easy target?
 Did the accused use Coercion? Threats? Force?
 Did the victim say no?

20. Themes
 Sexual assault is all about control.
 A predator picks their prey.
 Who needs force when you have alcohol?
 Drunk victims are less able to resist.
 The perpetrator picks a victim with no ability to
choose/someone they feel entitled to/ easy victim/
victim with no memory; they had a plan.

22.  Can be short or long term
 Cutting/ self-mutilation
 Eating disorders
 Depression
 Alcohol and substance abuse
 Re-entrance into a violent relationship
 Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)*
 More information on PTSD and violence is available
upon request
 Academic Career

23.  Anyone can be a victim of sexual assault or
domestic violence. If you or someone you know is
involved with interpersonal violence know that
there are confidential resources to help you.
Local Resources
 Rape Crisis Center
◦ 366-1640
 More information available at:
◦ The Jean Nidetch Women’s Center, UNLV
SSC A, 255 – 702.895.4475