An ounce of prevention is not always enough to keep a woman from becoming a victim of sexual assault. Young women who participate in educational programs on sexual assault can still become victims, Ohio State University researchers say. In a study of nearly 100 women, with an average age of 20, 33 percent were attacked within several months of going through the program–many by men they knew. The 1 1/2-hour course on date rape and sexual intimidation was intended to help women avoid sexual assault by instructing them on how to communicate their intentions and avoid risky dating behaviors. Although the program helped participants to better understand sexual assault, it did not change the assault rate, the study showed.
“It is an unrealistic expectation that this would be powerful enough to reduce a woman’s risk for sexual assault,” says Kim Breitenbecher, assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State in Newark. “There is simply an upper limit to the things a potential victim can do, so programs could do better aimed at men as potential perpetrators.”
