AUTHORS ENCOURAGE YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN
 TO WORK TOGETHER TO PREVENT SEXUAL ASSAULT 

	CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Dec. 5 -- One in four females and one
in 10 males are likely to be raped before they reach 18.  An
effective way to reduce the risk of rape is to encourage young men
and women to gain an understanding of each other's expectations, say
the authors of a new book that helps educators teach about
preventing sexual assault.	
	Since high school- and college-age students are particularly
vulnerable to rape because they are beginning to exert their
independence and leave home, the authors of "Working Together to
Prevent Sexual Assault" wanted to create a teaching manual that
would stimulate classroom discussions about sexual assault and
rape.  Authors Susan Tate Firkaly, an associate director for health
promotion in the University of Virginia's Department of Student
Health, and Mark S. Benn, a psychologist at Colorado State
University, believe the book provides a clear understanding of why
sexual assault occurs, dispels myths about sexual violence and
empowers readers to prevent attacks.
	"We have a rape culture in America, but because discussions
involve the word 'sex,' people often don't want to discuss the
problem or wish it would simply go away.  However, if teachers
stimulate discussions, we can move toward correcting sexual
injustices," said Firkaly, also an assistant professor in the School
of Medicine.
	Among the myths she and Benn hope teachers will help dispel
are:
	¥  Most people report sexual assaults to the police.  
	To the contrary, sexual assault is one of the least reported
crimes in the United States.  Since sexual assaults are so
under-reported, it is difficult to establish accurate numbers on how
frequently the crime occurs, Firkaly and Benn say.
	¥ Victims are usually attractive young females who excite
sexual feelings in their attackers.  
	People as young as 2 months and as old as 96 have been
reported to be raped.  People with disabilities have been raped.
"Rape is an act of violence, not a strong sexual urge," Firkaly said.
	¥ Most rapists are strange-looking men, with a history of
mental illness. 
	 Approximately 60 percent of all convicted rapists are
married men who had normal sexual relations with their wives.  Less
than 5 percent of those convicted have been diagnosed with a mental
disorder.  
	¥  Most rapes occur at night.
	Statistics show that rape is as likely to occur during the
day as at night.
	¥  Most sexual assaults are committed outdoors by strangers.
	Approximately 60 percent occur in the victim's home, and
about 70 percent of rapes are committed by someone the victim knows.

	The authors hope the book will encourage young people to
stop a pattern of gender-blaming.  "Girls grow up hearing that they
are to blame if they are assaulted, and boys are often made to feel
they are potential rapists simply because they are male.  Girls have
also been taught to appear helpless and needy, and boys have been
taught not to show sensitivity.  This pattern of assigning blame to
genders prevents a unified approach to reducing sexual assault,"
Firkaly said.
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December 4, 1995
	FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Susan T. Firkaly at (804)
924-1509 or Mark S. Benn at (303) 491-5728.