Furthermore, alcohol use can increase the risk for sexual assault and is sometimes used to justify the assault. Alcohol has been commonly used in date rapes, however, there have been reports of other drugs used and they can be used simultaneously with the alcohol. This is defined as drug-facilitated sexual assault (Crawford, Wright, & Birchmeier, 2008).
Moreover, it is important to aid individuals who are victims of sexual assault, but it is also essential to understand the perpetrators and their subcultures if we want to move forward with this problem of sexual violence. There are many subcultures, but the military and law enforcement is one of the most prominent ones in sexual assault. The military is based on one’s ability and masculinity …show more content…
It can cause many challenges for the social worker because victims of sexual assault are often traumatized which makes them less likely to talk about the incident. A study has found that seventy percent of victims experienced traumatization and forty-five experienced symptoms that related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Another aspect that makes the assessment challenging is an individual’s intellectual functioning. In the same study, it was found that ninety-one percent of sexual assault victims suffered from some form of intellectual disability. Additionally, it is essential for the social worker to gather as much information as possible due to collateral reports that were given by caregivers were usually underreporting the trauma-related symptoms. Furthermore, if the individual is wanting to press charges, the courts will look at four different areas such as mental age, level of intellectual functioning, ability to consent to sexual acts, and competency as a witness/ability to testify in court proceedings. Mental age is known as “different degrees or levels of intelligence” (p. 20). Intellectual ability increases with an individual’s age, therefore, if a social worker has a twenty year-old client that has an intellectual ability of a six year-old that would be extremely crucial to the assessment and the court. Intellectual disability is known as a below average intellectual functioning. The ability to consent to sexual acts is when an individual has any type of mental disability such as a disorder of any kind that does not allow them to communicate their unwillingness. Lastly, competency as a witness/ ability to testify in court proceedings is defined
Moreover, it is important to aid individuals who are victims of sexual assault, but it is also essential to understand the perpetrators and their subcultures if we want to move forward with this problem of sexual violence. There are many subcultures, but the military and law enforcement is one of the most prominent ones in sexual assault. The military is based on one’s ability and masculinity …show more content…
It can cause many challenges for the social worker because victims of sexual assault are often traumatized which makes them less likely to talk about the incident. A study has found that seventy percent of victims experienced traumatization and forty-five experienced symptoms that related to post-traumatic stress disorder. Another aspect that makes the assessment challenging is an individual’s intellectual functioning. In the same study, it was found that ninety-one percent of sexual assault victims suffered from some form of intellectual disability. Additionally, it is essential for the social worker to gather as much information as possible due to collateral reports that were given by caregivers were usually underreporting the trauma-related symptoms. Furthermore, if the individual is wanting to press charges, the courts will look at four different areas such as mental age, level of intellectual functioning, ability to consent to sexual acts, and competency as a witness/ability to testify in court proceedings. Mental age is known as “different degrees or levels of intelligence” (p. 20). Intellectual ability increases with an individual’s age, therefore, if a social worker has a twenty year-old client that has an intellectual ability of a six year-old that would be extremely crucial to the assessment and the court. Intellectual disability is known as a below average intellectual functioning. The ability to consent to sexual acts is when an individual has any type of mental disability such as a disorder of any kind that does not allow them to communicate their unwillingness. Lastly, competency as a witness/ ability to testify in court proceedings is defined