An Assessment of College Students’ Attitudes and Empathy Toward Rape

The study analyzed in the article also demonstrated that there is, indeed, a strong relationship between benevolent sexists and acquaintance rape victims. The majority of

“Most sexual assaults go unreported and more that one half of assaults are committed by someone known to the survivor. One third of women will experiences some form of sexual violence during their lifetime. Sexual assault victims may experience long-term mental and physical health problems throughout their lives.” (Luce, H. 2010).

     There are two sides to a rape, the rapist and the victim. The victim is most of the time a woman but men are raped as well. It is a common myth that there is a type of woman that is more likely to be raped. This is indeed a myth, most of the time rape is a crime of opportunity, the victim is not chosen because of her looks or behavior, but because she is there (Benedict 2). The average rape victim is 18-39 years old and female, the average rapist is 25 years old and male. The effect of rape on a woman is an enormous one. The woman will come away from a rape with both physical and psychological damage. Eventually the physical wounds will heal, the psychological wounds will take quite some time before or if they ever heal (Grady 4). A sexual assault robs the woman of a sense of control; a feeling of loss of freedom is common among rape victims. To put her life in order she must regain this sense of control. Almost all rape victims suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (Benedict 2). The first symptom is the reliving or re-experiencing of the

A fair share of qualitative and quantitative research was conducted in an attempt to adequately address the specific questions that were being asked. All of the research we reviewed used primary data and chose not to utilize secondary data to conduct their experiments, however, several of the studies references secondary data sources when speaking of historical backgrounds of rape and in their discussions. The methods our group has chosen to pay particular interest to are those that were used to gather data from participants at college campuses, as this is the population we wish to further explore. Due to women of college age being at an increased risk for sexual violence, several of the studies we found pursued out this population as well. A study conducted at James Madison University gathered their findings from a participant pool at their university using the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale, the Modern and Old-Fashion Sexism Scale, and rape scenarios and questions in which they evaluating participants identification with either the victim or the assailant (12p.242) This study was not alone in using the Illinois Rape Myth Acceptance Scale as measure. In fact, of the research reviewed seven other studies utilized the scale in addition to the research done at

Carly M. Hilinski (2010) The role of victim–offender relationships in predicting fear of rape among college women, Criminal Justice Studies, 23:2, 147-162, DOI: 10.1080/1478601X.2010.485477

Rape culture creates myths that victim blame the survivors of sexual violence. For example, a victim of a crime may be asked a question by police that suggests the victim was too drunk or wearing revealing clothing that provoked the perpetrator and resulted in the sexual violence against the victim. Rape culture silences victims who feel that law enforcement and the judicial system do not protect them or hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. The stigma of sexual violence continues to silence students who choose to not report incidences because they are in fear of stepping forward or believe the judicial system will fail them when they

The researcher’s topic is, why would rape be the victim’s fault. This researcher believes rape is never the victim’s fault, no matter what the situation may be. They believe individuals are blind to the existing issues that are involved with rape. Rape may only be considered physical, but there are existing mental issues that come from the tragedy of being raped. Many women are attacked “verbally and through social media” with information stating that the circumstance was “her fault” (Nathman, 2013). After seeing and hearing these thoughts from the public the victim soon believes if they had not been in the situation they were in they would have not been raped. Though this is not the case and rape will happen no matter the place or the circumstance. The posts and verbal shouts put a toll on a womans mental well-being and how they recover from the incident. It is well known that many victims of rape soon become depressed and antisocial after they are rapped because they do not get the help they deserve (Nathman, 2013).

(2013), Bennet and Banyard (2016) also looked at bystander invention in sexually violent situations, but focused their research on college campuses. This research focused the relationship between the bystanders’ affiliation with victims and perpetrators and the likelihood and safety of an intervention. Participants included 545 students who were enrolled in a psychology course at a college in the northeast United States. The group was primarily consisted of white and freshmen and sophomore students. Just over half were female, 29.5% reported unwelcome sexual events in adolescence, and 4.4% had been raped. Participants read stories about sexual violence in which they were assigned to being either friends or strangers with the perpetrator, and friends or strangers with the victim. After reading the stories, they answered surveys that asked if the scenario depicted a problem and if they felt comfortable intervening. The results found that when participants were friends with the perpetrator they labeled the situation as less problematic, and when they were friends with the victim they labeled it as more problematic. Participants who knew either the victim or perpetrator found it safer to intervene than participants who knew neither, and those who knew both individuals found it safest. This research showed that bystander relationships with those involved in the situation reflect identification of a problem and perceived bystander

College campus sexual assault has become a growing epidemic. Victims are assaulted by strangers, friends, or acquaintances, and receive no support when reported to the school staff. The importance of making this epidemic more aware to students or school faculty is to show the impact sexual assault has on a victim and their family, but also make it easier for victims to report and discuss their assault. Rape culture is becoming increasingly normalized within college campuses, and poses dangers to all students. The normalization of rape on college campuses promotes a mindset that suppresses victims and does not hold the attacker responsible for his or her actions.

Although it is important to be prepared in the case of sexual harassment, this method of teaching coincides with victim-blaming. The idea places the burden of sexual assault on the victim rather than potential perpetrators. In reality, teaching people about rape culture and how to avoid partaking in it places the burden of sexual assault on those who commit the act which more effectively helps eliminate the stigma around the issue. An article called, Rape and Sexual Assault, concisely paints a picture of the issue by explaining, “Sexual assault has nothing to do with how attractive a girl or guy is. It has nothing to do with desire or passion. Rape and sexual assault come from a need for power and control. In rape, sex is a weapon. It is used to overpower, humiliate, and inflict pain on another person,” (Rape and Sexual Assault). The author of this article asserts that the victim of sexual assault is never at fault, and details specific examples of rape culture to help the audience better understand the topic. In another article, Society's Response to Survivors, the author, Sarah Ullman explains the concept and effects of rape culture. She contends that victim blaming often leads to unstable mental and physical health for the victim. She mentions that many times when victims attempt to tell their

“Twenty to twenty-five percent of women will experience a completed and/or attempted rape during their college career” (Gray). That is about one in four or five women. “Half of the students that go to Baker University are women” (“Baker University”). That would mean that ten to thirteen percent of the female students on campus have either been raped or rape has been attempted against them. I have used five articles to examine the link between the belief in a just world and how much blame a victim receives based on the support victims get from friends and family, and any differences based on gender of the perpetrator and victim.

Social Media and local news coverage of high profile famous cases of sexual assault can give a misleading perceptions of the actual cause of the problem. Some of these articles talk about the stereotype with ‘stranger danger’ sexual assault and how it is actually not true.Most people who experience sexual assault are assaulted by someone who they actually

In addition, rape myths originate from a wide range of cultural stereotypes, for instance gender roles, the acceptance of interpersonal violence and the misunderstanding on the nature of sexual assault (Burt, 1980: p. 217). Rape myth is the major reason for victim-blaming and stigmatisation, and having an increase of responsibility on blaming the victim and minimising the rape. Likewise, the main concern in sexual assaults is wondering whether if both parties had consented in engaging sexual activities or if both parties had the capacity to do so. Thus, the stereotype that sexually assaulted individuals who have no physical trauma will be unwilling to report to the police or to seek medical care. Still, the acceptance of rape myths can lead

Rape can ruin lives. The sexually violent act is associated with a long list of public health concerns, including disease, unwanted pregnancy, physical trauma, mental and emotional suffering, and death. While rape can be simply defined as sex without consent, the impact rape has on society is complex. Victims are often stigmatized. They feel ashamed, weak and at fault. An estimated 18 percent of women in the US reported being raped at least once in their lifetimes, according to a 2007 study cited by the Center for Research on Violence Against Women. For college women, the numbers are slightly higher: 1 out of 5 women report being raped during their college years (as cited in Lawyer, Resnick, Von Bakanic, Burkett,

One aspect of sexual assault victimization is the gender differences, not just in the victimization but in the risk of victimization as well. Many researchers have found that Women are much more likely to report sexual assault, but they fail to look at both genders in detail. Burt’s Measure of Rape Supportive Beliefs theorized that women often display false feelings of attraction towards men, often leading to sexual assault victimization (Abbey, McAuslan, & Ross, 1998). Historically, women have been “blamed” for rape and were not thought of as victims. It was not until recently that college women have been recognized as a group that warrants attention surrounding their victimization (Cass, 2007).