A 2015 statement by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that one in five (around 25.5 million) women in the US will be raped at some point in their lives. That’s quite the ratio! Many of these women get sexually assaulted at college, though only 10% of victims on college campuses report the assault.
Thankfully, Bars near Florida Atlantic University (FAU) have come up with a strategy, together with FAU’s Student Government, to help prevent victims of rape. The team set up a series of secret drink orders that will let bartenders know about potentially dangerous situations.
The students at FAU initially came up with the concept while brainstorming on how to protect their colleagues. Once they finalized their plan, they asked restaurants and bar managers near the college to join the initiative.
Everybody loved the idea so much that the students paid for posters, which would explain how to order the secret drink themselves rather than waiting for FAU to approve the concept. Now, banners hang in the lady’s bathroom of several bars and restaurants across Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale.
The posters read:
Are you on a date that isn’t going well? Are you feeling unsafe, or even just a bit weird? For help, just go to the bar and order an owl shot.
There are three different versions that customers can order ‘owl shots,’ depending on how dangerous the situation is:
- An owl shot “neat,” then bar staff will escort the person to their car.
- An owl shot “on the rocks” means that bar staff should call a ride for you.
- An owl shot “with lime,” will alert bar staff to call the police.
Alejandra Rodriguez, FAU’s Governmental Relations Director, said:
Everyone’s on board. Bars owners love it; the administration thinks it’s a great idea. There’s been really no negative response to it at all.
This isn’t the first time students from Florida have come up with a strategy to help protect victims from sexual assault. In 2017, three young girls from Miami, Florida’s Gulliver Preparatory School decided to fight date rape drugs, using a straw as their weapon.
A 2016 study by the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that date rapes are among the higher number of rape cases. Up to 21% of female college students across nine schools experienced sexual assault since entering college.
In 2017, the team designed “Smart Straws” that include two separate test strips that, when placed into a drink, will turn light blue if it detects some substances frequently used for sexual abuse. The Smart Straw can identify the most popular forms of drugs used for date rape, including Ketamine (Special K), roofies (Rohypnol), and gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB).
Owl shots and Smart Straws are great, but it shouldn’t replace the necessary precautions:
- Don’t accept drinks from strangers.
- Make sure to open sealed containers yourself or watch the bartender make your drinks.
- Always keep your eyes on your drink, and if you go to the bathroom, bring it with you.
- Stay away from communal drinks like drinking games, punch bowls, fountains, and drink pools.
- Don’t drink anything that smells, looks, or tastes unusual.
- If you are starting to feel intoxicated or are having suspicious symptoms, order an owl shot, or tell a trusted friend.
- Beware of anyone who insists that you drink something, say no, and walk away.
