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Bloomsburg's annual Take Back the Night event, supporting survivors and victims of sexual abuse, took place Wednesday night. Elaine Pasqua and volunteers from the Women's Resource Center led a discussion on sexual abuse and a silent candlelight vigil in honor of the abused.
Pasqua, a public speaker on defending against and recovering from sexual abuse, gave students ideas on how to keep themselves safe when at parties, drinking, with friends, and in the open spaces where predators may look for victims.
Take Back the Night began in 1976 at an International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in Belgium. The movement's name refers to the dangers women face, and have faced throughout history, walking alone at night, always in fear of violence awaiting them in the shadows. Since its conception, annual events have taken place across the country and around the world.
Pasqua, herself a survivor of abuse via a date rape drug, urges women to use common sense to help keep themselves out of trouble.
"Follow your instincts, and never be afraid to seek out help," she said.
She stresses the importance of maintaining awareness of your circumstances when drinking, and having the integrity to look out for others whose judgment may be impaired. Always make sure when partying, she says, that the next morning you can remember the who, what, where, why, when, and how of your activities, and will not strongly regret your actions.
According to Pasqua, 80 percent of college campus sexual abuse is from date rape situations, and 90 percent involve alcohol. The first part of the brain that shuts down when impaired by alcohol is that which controls cognitive functions, rendering the drinker incapable of making decisions as well as they would if they were sober.
"If the victim is drunk, basically the law will say that they did not have the clarity and judgment to consent," Pasqua said.
She warns men of this as well, as just because a woman may have consented at the time, if she was drinking it still constitutes "gray rape," where the boundaries are ambiguous.
"If a girl comes up to you, completely wasted, and wants to get into your pants, take the moral highroad to avoid "‘gray rape'," Pasqua said.
She warns partiers to steer clear of date rape drugs by avoid drinking out of open containers, bowls of punch, or any drink that you have not seen poured out of a sealed bottle yourself. Never leave your drink unattended, always keep it with you so no one can tamper with it. Date rape drugs, like Rohypnol and GHB, can take as little as 15 minutes to take effect, and when coupled with alcohol can produce eight to ten hour memory blackouts. If you feel yourself starting to feel more out of control than your alcohol intake warrants, immediately ask a friend for help or call 911 to keep yourself out of danger.
These drugs are "a coward's way to get sex," Pasqua said, and can leave you in situations you never intended to be in. She said that a bartender once told her that people offered her bribes almost every night to allow them to slip a date rape drug into someone's drink.
Women who experience rape should seek out help immediately, and it is important that they do not shower or brush their teeth before hand, as it destroys DNA evidence. Put any bedding, clothing or other materials with evidence into a paper bag and bring it with you to help police identify and convict your assailant.
Bloomsburg women can get help from the Women's Resource Center, Bloomsburg Hospital, or on-campus counseling services.
It is estimated that 40 percent of rape victims contract an STD. Pasqua demonstrated the spread of STDs in unprotected sex by having audience members "infect" each other using small plastic cups, most containing water but four with a color-changing chemical in them. By sharing the contents of their cups with three other people, 36 out of 60 cups became infected, just from the original four. Free HIV and STD testing is available; see the Women's Resource Center for more information.
When in an area where an attack can potentially occur, Pasqua tells women to keep their keys in hand for a quicker getaway, never park next to a van as that makes it very easy to grab and kidnap someone, hit your car's unlock button once to only unlock the driver's door, never let a someone leave a party alone, and above all, stay aware of your surroundings.
"Follow your heart," she urged. "If something doesn't fee right, get out."
The evening closed with a silent candlelight procession around campus, ending outside Carver Hall, where a poem was read about a woman who dealt with abuse and came out stronger because of it.
For more information or help, contact the Women's Resource Center at 570-389-5283 or dbarnes@bloomu.edu.
Bloomsburg's annual Take Back the Night event, supporting survivors and victims of sexual abuse, took place Wednesday night. Elaine Pasqua and volunteers from the Women's Resource Center led a discussion on sexual abuse and a silent candlelight vigil in honor of the abused.
Pasqua, a public speaker on defending against and recovering from sexual abuse, gave students ideas on how to keep themselves safe when at parties, drinking, with friends, and in the open spaces where predators may look for victims.
Take Back the Night began in 1976 at an International Tribunal on Crimes Against Women in Belgium. The movement's name refers to the dangers women face, and have faced throughout history, walking alone at night, always in fear of violence awaiting them in the shadows. Since its conception, annual events have taken place across the country and around the world.
Pasqua, herself a survivor of abuse via a date rape drug, urges women to use common sense to help keep themselves out of trouble.
"Follow your instincts, and never be afraid to seek out help," she said.
She stresses the importance of maintaining awareness of your circumstances when drinking, and having the integrity to look out for others whose judgment may be impaired. Always make sure when partying, she says, that the next morning you can remember the who, what, where, why, when, and how of your activities, and will not strongly regret your actions.
According to Pasqua, 80 percent of college campus sexual abuse is from date rape situations, and 90 percent involve alcohol. The first part of the brain that shuts down when impaired by alcohol is that which controls cognitive functions, rendering the drinker incapable of making decisions as well as they would if they were sober.
"If the victim is drunk, basically the law will say that they did not have the clarity and judgment to consent," Pasqua said.
She warns men of this as well, as just because a woman may have consented at the time, if she was drinking it still constitutes "gray rape," where the boundaries are ambiguous.
"If a girl comes up to you, completely wasted, and wants to get into your pants, take the moral highroad to avoid "‘gray rape'," Pasqua said.
She warns partiers to steer clear of date rape drugs by avoid drinking out of open containers, bowls of punch, or any drink that you have not seen poured out of a sealed bottle yourself. Never leave your drink unattended, always keep it with you so no one can tamper with it. Date rape drugs, like Rohypnol and GHB, can take as little as 15 minutes to take effect, and when coupled with alcohol can produce eight to ten hour memory blackouts. If you feel yourself starting to feel more out of control than your alcohol intake warrants, immediately ask a friend for help or call 911 to keep yourself out of danger.
These drugs are "a coward's way to get sex," Pasqua said, and can leave you in situations you never intended to be in. She said that a bartender once told her that people offered her bribes almost every night to allow them to slip a date rape drug into someone's drink.
Women who experience rape should seek out help immediately, and it is important that they do not shower or brush their teeth before hand, as it destroys DNA evidence. Put any bedding, clothing or other materials with evidence into a paper bag and bring it with you to help police identify and convict your assailant.
Bloomsburg women can get help from the Women's Resource Center, Bloomsburg Hospital, or on-campus counseling services.
It is estimated that 40 percent of rape victims contract an STD. Pasqua demonstrated the spread of STDs in unprotected sex by having audience members "infect" each other using small plastic cups, most containing water but four with a color-changing chemical in them. By sharing the contents of their cups with three other people, 36 out of 60 cups became infected, just from the original four. Free HIV and STD testing is available; see the Women's Resource Center for more information.
When in an area where an attack can potentially occur, Pasqua tells women to keep their keys in hand for a quicker getaway, never park next to a van as that makes it very easy to grab and kidnap someone, hit your car's unlock button once to only unlock the driver's door, never let a someone leave a party alone, and above all, stay aware of your surroundings.
"Follow your heart," she urged. "If something doesn't fee right, get out."
The evening closed with a silent candlelight procession around campus, ending outside Carver Hall, where a poem was read about a woman who dealt with abuse and came out stronger because of it.
For more information or help, contact the Women's Resource Center at 570-389-5283 or dbarnes@bloomu.edu.
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