| Protect
yourself
•
Determine what you want and what you don't want.
No one should pressure you into unwanted sexual
activity.
• Know that you have the right and power to
say "no" and the right and power to defend yourself
against someone who won't listen to you.
•
Trust your intuition. If you feel something is wrong,
it probably is. As quickly as you can, get to a
safe place.
•
Be careful with alcohol and drugs. Some people think
that a drunk or stoned companion has automatically
consented to sex.
•
Look for danger signals in a dating relationship.
If your partner restricts your activities, isolates
you from friends, and displays jealous behavior,
he or she may eventually rape and/or beat you.
•
Talk to your friends about ways you've learned to
prevent rape and violence. Be a role model for younger
people who need to learn how to protect and care
for themselves.
| |
Protect
your partner and friends
•
Respect your partner's feelings and needs. Don't
pressure anyone to go beyond the limits she or he
has set.
•
Respect the request of a person who says "no" to
sexual activity.
• If you see someone in a vulnerable situation,
find a non-threatening way to offer help.
•
Remember that if a person is too drunk or stoned
to resist or say "no" and you have sex with that
person anyway, you could be charged with rape.
•
Examine your feelings; be careful not to take out
your internal frustrations on someone you care about.
Talk to your partner about how you feel. Communication
can ease tension.
•
Discuss the problem of dating violence with your
friends. Interrupt jokes that degrade women or gays
and lesbians. Be a role model for younger people
who need to learn mature sexual behavior.
|
