Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucsfcgl.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!ucbvax!ucsfcgl!arnold
From: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Ken Arnold%CGL)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: Anti-rape tactics - a conundrum
Message-ID: <579@ucsfcgl.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 18-Jul-85 19:36:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: ucsfcgl.579
Posted: Thu Jul 18 19:36:16 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 20-Jul-85 05:56:51 EDT
References: <392@mit-vax.UUCP> <2432@sun.uucp>
Reply-To: arnold@ucsfcgl.UUCP (Ken Arnold)
Organization: UCSF Computer Graphics Lab
Lines: 28

In article <2432@sun.uucp> sunny@sun.uucp (Ms. Sunny Kirsten) writes:
>Most rapes are committed by a person known to the rapee.  This can be
>husband, "boyfriend", date, or just "friend".  Thus it is questionable
>that rape will be solved by having some flavor of "friend" assuming
>body-guard duty over each woman who would otherwise be alone.  Do you
>really think most rapes are committed in the street?

Even given that this is so, many rapes are committed in the street.
Otherwise women wouldn't need to feel afraid of walking alone at night
(or any other time).  It is important that people realize that rapes
are committed by known people more often than not, but you cannot use
this to dismiss the problem of protecting women at night.

If a woman is leaving a party where she knows many people, it is seems
reasonable to me to accept an escort from some man at the party she
does not know, as long as she knows who does know him.  This is
primarily because, if a rape occurs, the man can be identified to the
police, and he was seen leaving the party with that woman.  Thus, he
knows that he can be caught, which is (I believe) a deterrent to rape.

Of course, this doesn't count if the people a woman goes to parties
with are sleaze and would refuse to help.  Such people are to be
avoided at all costs.  Since there are no absolutes, any woman should
exercise some caution here.  But I think that, given the choice between
walking any distance alone and walking with a friend of a friend, I
would expect it was safer to choose the latter.

		Ken Arnold