NCJ Number
72883
Date Published
1980
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Intended for college students, this film presents the dramatized story of the rape of a college coed, her emotional trauma, and the painful but necessary process of filing criminal charges against her assailant.
Abstract
Three women share an apartment at college. One of the women, Sara, is invited out for a date with Tom, an acquaintance from one of her classes. After dinner and a movie, the couple returns to Tom's apartment for a drink. When Sara resists his sexual advances, Tom locks her in the apartment and rapes her. After Sara returns home, her roommates search for ways to help her. Finally, Sara agrees to talk to a rape crisis center and to report the crime to the police. The film shows the effects of the rape on the victim, the importance of counseling rape victims, and the importance of preserving evidence of the rape. After Sara gives the initial report to the police, she decides to press charges. The police will get a warrant for the man's arrest, pick him up, and put him in a lineup from which Sara must pick him out. The film points out that rapists will be stopped only if victims press charges. The man who raped Sara had raped at least three other women, but these women would not press charges. Sara's rape experience, like that of over 60 percent of rape victims who know their assailant, is called social rape. The film examines the myths surrounding rape and shows viewers how to be more aware of the potential danger of rape in their lives. A leader's guide is included with the film.