Combining rape prevention lessons with free tuxedo rental and manicures, the Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center spent last week bringing the "Respect Your Date Contest" to local high schools.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and the center is focusing on teenagers because they are beginning to date and will soon be attending prom dances, said Loretta Golden, the center's program director.
Students were given a fact sheet and a quiz, and they entered drawings for prizes.
"It creates a dialogue among peers," Golden said.
Laura Kalt, project coordinator at the center, said she thought the contest would make kids more receptive to knowledge.
"They want to take the quiz for the prizes, and they end up talking about it with their friends," Kalt said.
The contest is important because many teenagers won't talk about sexual assault in their homes, said Ketarah Reed, a Gainesville High School student.
"Their parents may not sit down and talk to them about this stuff," Reed said.
But high school students are not the only ones who need to know how to prevent sexual assaults.
Those facing the highest risk of being victimized are 15- to 19-year-olds, said Tanja van der Veen, a victim advocate at the University Police Department.
That range includes new college students, many of whom explore their newfound freedom by partying and drinking, van der Veen said.
When a new sense of independence is coupled with alcohol, the results can be especially risky, said Beth-Anne Blue, a counselor at the Student Health Care Center who specializes in sexual abuse.
"A recipe for disaster is what it is," Blue said.
Many sexual assault victims, both young and old, do not report the crimes to law enforcement.
One reason is a fear of being blamed, said Gretchen Howard, chair for the Council Against Sexual Violence at the State Attorney's Office.
"We have to be really, really careful not to blame people for the actions of perpetrators," Howard said.
Students who have been sexually abused often feel shock, denial, guilt and self-blame, Blue said.
Most people who are sexually assaulted say they were victimized by someone they know, further discouraging them from reporting the crime, van der Veen said.
Men are even less likely than women to come forward, Blue said, because of shame and embarrassment.
In 2007, 93 forcible rapes were reported to Gainesville law enforcement, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports. The numbers for the prior few years were similar.
If a student is sexually assaulted, a variety of victim's services are available on campus and throughout Alachua County.
The Alachua County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center has a 24-hour anonymous hotline, as well as counseling and support groups.
The State Attorney's Office also offers counseling and support groups for adults and teens, Howard said.
On campus, the Center for Sexual Assault/Abuse Recovery & Education, or CARE, offers confidential counseling, something police and victim advocates don't offer, Blue said.
Counselors at CARE aren't required by law to disclose any information about their clients, Blue said.
"What you tell me stays here and that's it," she said.
Although sexual assault cannot be completely prevented, there are ways students can reduce their risk, Blue said.
Limiting alcohol use, employing a "buddy system" and watching out for friends top the list, Gainesville Police Detective Sgt. Ray Barber said.
"You have to look out for each other," Barber said.
