Allow me to clarify one thing, although I am a certified crisis intervention counselor; I am not a psychiatrist.

That said, it seems easy enough to “hit the switch” when relationships become uncomfortable or violent. Often times my first response is to yell “TURN OFF THE COMPUTER!!” but the reality is that when people are faced with extreme stressors (especially violence or risk of violence to their being, not just their bodies), they often freeze up. It’s like people who look up when crossing the street, see an oncoming truck, and freeze. They simply cannot get out of the way of the truck barreling down on them. This is very common in SL as I have entered into various situations where people were unable to end their interactions or shut things down. I have also met people who simply TP’d away, muted the other, and submitted an AR. And I have met people who hit the power switch.

Legally (from what my international lawyer friends tell me), most law requires an actual body to be harmed for “rape’ to be a viable case. However, there are multiple legal violations that could apply here from various countries, all ranging from something so simple as harassment to complex as torture.

I know I’m harping on old stuff but the SL Mentoring program intervened in a lot of these instances and had a very good track record of helping people play safely and stay healthy. They also helped filter people in need into appropriate real life resources to address serious problems of everything from physical abuse to suicide.

Lastly, someone mentioned something about ARs… A simple AR is a nice solution to Linden Labs, but if you don’t know how to submit one, what good is it? (*cough* Mentors help with this too *cough*)

Some victims of “virtual rape” (and other violent acts) are seriously impacted emotionally. It can lead to consequences that impact people’s behavior in real life, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD. How it’s prosecuted seems to be irrelevant so long as the perpetrator is held accountable. How the “victim” is healed is much more my concern and one I am not convinced that LL is working to offer any assistance in such restoration. A simple TRAINED staff person who is available to interact with the victim and help to move them towards real life help seems the least they can do as an ethical, socially responsible, corporate body.