Josie Brown had met a young man on MySpace whom would later be described as handsome and charming. She quickly shared her personal information with him and met him for a date. Just over two years ago, her body was found in a roadside ditch.
Nurse Linda Kelly used this and other true stories to teach Baltimore County students the importance of taking precautions, because you can?t tell if someone is a rapist by looking at them. “They don?t have horns and a tail,” she said. They look like everyone else.
Students at Eastern Technical High School took part in the “SAFE Dating and Healthy Relationships” program Thursday. They learned about risk factors connected to sexual assault, what happens when someone is raped, and staying safe when meeting people you meet online or publishing your personal information.
“The reason I started coming out to schools is most rape victims are between the ages of 13 and 24,” said Kelly, clinical program manager of Greater Baltimore Medical Center Sexual Assault Forensic Examination program.
Specially trained nurses care for rape victims ages 13 and older through the SAFE program. They collect forensic evidence for the Baltimore County police crime lab that may be used to solve rape cases, according to the hospital Web site. In addition to aiding law enforcement, SAFE nurses provide victims with emergency contraception and test for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases for which medication is given.
Kelly demonstrated to the students how a SAFE nurse collects DNA samples from under a fingernail using a plastic scraper.
With the Internet and changes in families today, “relationships develop in less structured environments,” Kelly said. Kids have access to cars and alcohol. Life has become less restrictive.
The fear of sexual assault has gone up since the popularization of social Web sites like MySpace. But, the No. 1 risk factor for rape remains alcohol. Most victims ? 61 percent ? are attacked by someone they know, and alcohol or drugs usually play a role.
To drive home the point, she showed them a picture of a neatly dressed man and asked, “Look at him, would you be afraid of him?”
The man was Ted Bundy, she told them. There is no way to tell. It could be anyone.
Kelly has already spoken to 600 high school students and recently started speaking at middle schools.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.
Never give out personal information online or in person.
Don?t go out alone with someone. Go in a group and go to public places.
Tell a friend where you?re going and with whom.
Drive your own car, and never get in car with stranger.
Source: Greater Baltimore Medical Center SAFE Program
