With all these preventive measures, women still put themselves in danger of rape all of the time, she said. Gerard said the largest contributor to rape is alcohol. While alcohol does not turn a person into a rapist, it does create a vulnerability so a rape could take place. Gerard clarified the myth that if a girl goes to a party and drinks, she is asking for sex. Rape is so terrifying that most women fear they are going to die, but fortunately most rapists are not murderers, Gerard said.
Rapists seek to control or humiliate other people.
While rape generally is said to be geared more toward violence than sex, Gerard said, a person motivated by control and power is likely to exhibit a different kind of sexual expression. Without consent, sex is rape. One of the main reasons rape can occur is because of physical strength. The reality is that most women do not know how to fight. When it actually happens, women don't know how to react.