Where will I be raped?
If you are raped it will more than likely happen at home, which is where more than half of all reported rapes take place. But rape can happen anywhere, of course. You can be raped inside or outside – in a residential street or open field, or in your car, a public toilet, in prison, in a classroom, in a place of worship, a park, a playground, at a neighbour’s house.
Generally, there are likely to be a higher number of rapes in areas where people feel less powerful, and are less protected. If you live in a township or an informal settlement or village where lighting and public transport is poor, if criminal gangs operate in your nearby, if there is no adequate police presence, if you do not have private security or a neighbourhood watch, you will be more vulnerable.
It is clear that feeling afraid of being attacked and raped affects many womens’ daily movements and activities. They feel threatened on public transport, going hiking, or going out alone at night. Although you should be vigilant when leaving bars or shebeens or approaching cars in parking lots late at night, unfortunately, you cannot prevent being raped by avoiding certain places. Whether you live in a wealthy suburb a poor urban community, or a rural area, you may be raped by a “friend” at a party, or by intruders in a home invasion, or by someone you know. As most rapes are planned beforehand, the rapist will want to isolate you before he commits his crime. Most rapes happen in places where you are found alone and the rapist will not be seen or stopped. You can be raped just anywhere a rapist thinks he can get away with it.
When will I be raped?
More than half of all sexual assaults are reported on weekends and are linked abuse of alcohol and drugs.
However, the reality of the situation is that rape does not respect regular time patterns. It can happen to you after a night of clubbing, or in your office as you work overtime. It can happen to your child who may be snatched from the front garden of your home during broad daylight. There is no time of day or night that incidences of reported rape and assault have not been reported.
