Teenage Girls and Rape
The United States has the “Highest rate of rape of any country.” And girls ranging from 16-19, “Are four times more likely than the general population to be raped.” http://www.sccadvasa.org/art. Chelsea King, was part of this age group. This seventeen year old girl, was raped and murdered in San Diego last month. A sex predator named John Gardner III, has been charged with her murder. This story is a reminder to young girls and women out there, that they have and will continue to be the primary target of sexual predators.
A young girl, like Chelsea King, is a perfect prey for a sex predator. Predators look for easy targets, meaning a young girl who is petite and alone. If the girl is small, then chances are the predator will not have much of a struggle to assault her. A teenage girl not only has limitations fighting off a predator physically, but she is less likely to carry a concealed weapon to use against him.
So what can a teenage girl do to prevent this from happening to herself? The facts have to be looked at first. Chelsea King was attacked on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2010, while jogging at a neighborhood park. Though she was not far from her home, she was alone.
There have been countless other cases where teenage girls have disappeared, due to their going off on by themselves. Like Morgan Harrington, another young girl from this high rate group, who was assaulted and killed. Harrington disappeared back in October when she had been locked out of a concert. She supposedly had been taken in a nearby parking lot, sources said that, “her purse and cell phone were recovered,” in the lot. http://www.ionlinephilippines.com/2010/01/morgan-harrington-body-found-morgan-dana-harrington-found-dead/. Parking lots are another place that girls can be assaulted and Harrington was by herself at the time.
In this time and era teenage girls need the buddy system. Whether it is at a park, a nightclub, or at a party, teenage girls need to realize that it’s not safe to go anywhere by themselves. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/03/04/2010-03-04_convicted_sex_offender_john_albert_gardner_iii_charged_with_murder_of_teen_chels.html.
Another thing that teens need to realize is that they live in a world where they could be a possible victim of rape and murder. Teenage girls can have a naive disposition about life and that is what blocks out the realization of being assaulted in their minds. In fact, ”Most teens don’t think rape can happen to them.”http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/hhs/vasap/acquaintancerape.pdf .
Perhaps that was the case with Chelsea King. ”When you’re at that age, you feel invincible.” Said Kelly King. “ Bad things aren’t going to happen to you.” http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local-beat/Suspect-Arrested-in-Case-of-Missing-Teen-Chelsea-King–.html. But they can and that’s the point that needs to get across to young girls who assume they will be fine anytime they go out.
This is when the parents or another adult need to step in, to discuss with the teenage girl, about issues concerning rape and sexual assault. The parents should start off the conversation by, “Finding out what they already know.” http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/hhs/vasap/acquaintancerape.pdf. From there parents should make sure to discuss date rape drugs, rape that can possibly happen between a friend or relative, since “62% of rapes happen by someone that the victim knows.” http://www.sccadvasa.org/art . Parents also need to get the message across to their teenage daughters that they need to stay alert when they go out by themselves and to never let their guard down.
