The recent events at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado are symptomatic of a growing rate of violence and disrespect for human dignity. Violence among our young people has reached crisis proportion. Rape, another form of violence and aggression, is also on the rise.Most women do not imagine that they will become a rape statistic. A growing concern in America today is that more and more woman do. While many imagine rape as a crime committed by a stranger, the fact is most women are raped by someone they know. Young women away from home for the fist time are particularly vulnerable. A recent article in Ebony magazine recounts a young woman's traumatic experience-a horrible memory she will carry for the rest of her life--the night she was date raped. She was victimized by a former boyfriend who wanted a last moment of their past relationship. They had recently broken up and although she was reluctant to see him again, "he pleaded with her to go out one last time" so they could end on good terms (The Truth 112). As he had always done in the past, he dropped by her dorm to pick her up. He said he had some things to talk about but instead of going out to a restaurant like they had discussed, he drove to a nearby motel. His excuse was that he just wanted to talk in a private area but as soon as they were inside the motel room he grabbed her and forced her to down and left her with a nightmare that would always remain in her memory. "For the next several hours he tore her clothes, beat her, tied her to the bed, and raped her repeatedly (112)." The next morning he finally untied her and threw himself down on her naked body and, while crying, begged her for forgiveness. The victim in this case felt ashamed and, instead of blaming her boyfriend, she faulted herself. Years later after realizing she was not the one to blame but instead a victim, she came forward and told her horrid story (112). Like many rape v...
