public consciousness earlier this year when two American celebrities went on trial amidst a hoop-la of media attention. The names involved guaranteed maximum publicity, but the nature of the charge brought hot and impassioned discussion on what actually constitutes the crime of sexual assault. If most of the millions of TV viewers followed, day after day, all the titillating details, both the William Kennedy Smith and Mike Tyson rape trials served a purpose in bringing the thorny problem of sexual consent into public focus.

Where America leads, this Island, thanks to TV, usually follows, so there has been a corresponding rise in public awareness of a problem that is a fact of life in the western world. Date rape, which, perhaps should more accurately be termed `acquaintance rape', is not a new phenomenon here, any more than it is in the US.

But Mrs. Sharon Apopa, who heads up the Women's Resource Centre in Hamilton, points out that even after all the publicity of televised trials and the morality teach-ins of daily `soaps' and nightly talk shows, young women have not "honed in'' on the fact that date rape could happen to them.

This month, the Centre has been holding a series of free workshops entitled The Dating Game, in an effort to educate school and college-age people on some of the facts about date and acquaintance rape.

"We have been trying to target people who are just going out to work in the community or going off to college,'' she says. Her concern over this age-group is reflected by the statistics. A recent US survey indicates that 90 percent of rape victims know their assailants, that almost 30 percent of all women in college have been victims of rape or attempted rape and that it is women between the ages of 15 and 24 who are most at risk.

"The big problem, even now, is getting across the message that acquaintance rape is rape, plain and simple. But we still have this mind-set, that `rape' is someone leaping out of the bushes and attacking a stranger. In fact, this type of sexual assault is comparatively rare.'' It is the consent issue that has caused such confusion and controversy. Teens who have heard that rape is a violent assault are simply not prepared for the "soft sell'', where verbal, rather than physical pressure is applied. "We were hoping that men would come to our seminars,'' says Mrs. Apopa, "because they need to be educated as well. They really do need to understand that `no' means just that. It does not mean `yes'. The trouble is, men have been conditioned to think that saying `no' is just a preliminary part of the chasing game. They don't expect `nice' women to say "yes'' at first, anyway.

But they do expect them to give in eventually, as they apply more and more pressure. And many men define their masculinity by their sexual prowess, the number of conquests they can boast about.'' She feels that this attitude, in spite of all the publicity and severity of punishment meted out to Mike Tyson, who, unlike William Kennedy Smith, was found guilty, still prevails in Bermuda. "The people who are deterred by all this publicity are probably the people who would hesitate anyway,'' she says.

But the greatest controversy centres not around the rapist, but his victim.

For many bemused viewers, tales of women driving off to a new acquaintance's home for very late night-caps and walks on the beach, or visits to hotel bedrooms in the wee hours of the morning, the common reaction seems to have been "she asked for it''.

Mrs. Apopa is convinced that men need to understand that when a woman says `no', she has the right to say that -- no matter if he has spent money on her, taken her out to dinner, or if he happens to think that her appearance is a "come on''.

She has little patience, either, for the common plea that many rape situations can be traced back to the use of alcohol. "Being drunk is not a defence against committing a crime. Being drunk doesn't make you a rapist. You have to have the disposition. All that drinking does is to remove inhibitions.'' She makes the point, however, that excess alcohol does diminish any person's ability to made valid decisions.

There is also the sticky question of the burden of proof, for the very nature of the crime means that in many instances, it is up to the two protagonists to prove or disprove the allegation -- a classic case of "whose story do you believe?'' "We find, here at the Centre, that women are still very reluctant to come forward and report cases of acquaintance rape. The whole trial process is very traumatic, especially in a small place like Bermuda. Anyone can wander into our courts and listen to cases, so the promise of not having your name printed in the paper isn't a whole lot of help.'' Mrs. Apopa, a guidance counsellor at Sandys Secondary School, has been running the Women's Resource Centre (formerly known as the Rape Centre) for two years now, with the help of about 27 "hot-line'' volunteers and has about 20 more who are being trained in how to deal with a variety of problems that regularly affect women.

"We offer individual counselling for anyone who has suffered a sexual assault.'' She emphasises that the entire procedure is confidential. "If a woman decides to press charges, the police may wish to talk to us. But I would stress that it is up to her, not us, to decide whether or not to involve the police. You have to remember that a woman may be too distraught to make an immediate decision.'' The Centre advises against the danger of waiting too long before pressing charges, after forensic evidence is lost. For this reason, clients are advised to undergo a hospital medical as soon as possible after the assault, leaving other decisions until later. And she also reminds victims of the importance of testing for sexually transmitted diseases (including AIDS), so that any necessary treatment can begin as soon as possible.

Incest, another word that not so long ago, was also spoken only in hushed tones, is also a regular talk show topic these days. Mrs. Apopa says that heightened public awareness has seen a corresponding increase in requests for help in this area. "We rarely, if ever, hear about biological incest -- that of a father raping his daughter. Incest in Bermuda usually means mom's boyfriend or step-father, or an uncle, perhaps. We also deal with incest survivors -- adult survivors of childhood abuse and rape who find themselves in a crisis of reaction maybe years later.'' There is also support counselling for family members, who may suffer almost as much as the physical victim.

Mrs. Apopa, who has a Masters degree from the University of West Virginia, says it was her nine years as a child abuse counsellor at Social Services that aroused her interest in women's issues. "I found myself wondering what happened to some of these kids when they grew up,'' she explains.

Her involvement with the Centre has brought some reactions which she feels are unfortunately, typical of the male attitudes that still prevail in Bermuda: "When I told a male friend of mine that I was working at the Centre, his first question was: had I been raped? Then he wanted to know if I hated men and then, was I a lesbian? Sadly, I find that many men only become sensitive about rape if it's their sister, or their daughter who has been victimised.'' THE DATING GAME takes on a new twist as women stand up for their sexual rights. The problem now is making sure that men understand the rules.

MRS. SHARON APOPA -- Runs the Women's Resource Centre on Parliament Street, where rape and sexual assault victims can go for confidential help and counselling. William Kennedy Smith Mike Tyson.