Cutting-edge research from multiple academic security sources indicates that, due to the unpredictable nature of rape, the tendency of prevention techniques to work in one situation and not work or exacerbate the situation in another, and the number of rapes that take place outside of expected self-defense environments (ie, acquaintance and intimate rape), rape prevention tips aimed at victims do not provide a statistically significant decrease in the chance of rape.
P. J. Sci. Psych. instead recommends that rape prevention campaigns target potential perpetrators via informational campaigns and positive peer pressure. Studies show that many rapists, especially those who commit rape against acquaintances and intimates or in social settings such as parties, do not identify their own act as rape. Campaigns focused on clearly defining what is and isn’t rape and casting the latter as unacceptable behavior in any context have a high likelihood of reducing this highly-prevalent type of rape.
