Date rape Health Dictionary

A criminal o?ence in which sexual intercourse takes place with an unwilling partner, female or male, under threat of force or violence. Reported rape cases have increased in number in recent years, but it is hard to know whether this is because the incidence of rape has increased or because the victims – women and men – are more willing to report the crime. A more sympathetic and understanding approach by the police, courts and society generally has resulted in the provision of greater support for victims who are usually severely traumatised psychologically as well as physically. It is argued that rape is motivated by a desire to dominate rather than simply an attempt to achieve sexual grati?cation. The majority of rapes are probably unreported because of the victims’ shame, anxiety about publicity and fear that the rapist will take reprisals. It is legally recognised that rape can happen within marriage. There are moves to make court proceedings less traumatic for victims, whose attackers are often known to them.

Anxiety, DEPRESSION and POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER (PTSD) are common after rape: many victims are now given help by rape crisis counselling. A recent report suggests that in at least 50 per cent of reported rapes, the attacker was known to, or had been a friend of, the victim. The deliberate misuse of alcohol or drugs to reduce a potential victim’s resistance seems to be increasing (see DRUG ASSISTED RAPE; FLUNITRAZEPAM.)... rape

Phoenix dactylifera

Description: The date palm is a tall, unbranched tree with a crown of huge, compound leaves. Its fruit is yellow when ripe.

Habitat and Distribution: This tree grows in arid semitropical regions. It is native to North Africa and the Middle East but has been planted in the arid semitropics in other parts of the world.

Edible Parts: Its fruit is edible fresh but is very bitter if eaten before it is ripe. You can dry the fruits in the sun and preserve them for a long time.

Other Uses: The trunks provide valuable building material in desert regions where few other treelike plants are found. The leaves are durable and you can use them for thatching and as weaving material. The base of the leaves resembles coarse cloth that you can use for scrubbing and cleaning.... date palm

Also known as ‘date rape’, this is an unwelcome phenomenon in which an intending rapist undermines a potential victim’s resistance by giving her a hypnotic drug such as benzodiazepine. The British National Formulary warns that ?unitrazepam (Rohypnol®) tablets may be particularly subject to abuse – perhaps given to the unsuspecting victim in an alcoholic drink so the sedative e?ect is greatly enhanced.... drug assisted rape

Fertility, Potency... palm, date