Sexual assault is a serious health issue in America concerning both physical and mental health. While it gets attention and is thought of as an issue, preventive measures and methods to seek help are not always affective. Thus, this campaign will give women and victims an opportunity to tell their stories and resources to affectively deal with the aftermath of an assault. Considering the high amount of assaults on colleges campuses, the target audience will be college students. One in five women are sexually assaulted in college, and therefore it’s reasonable to suggest something is systematically wrong with education programs in America. Additionally, colleges and universities tend to sweep sexual assaults under the rug or desperately try to hide the truth. With stories coming out recently surrounding sexual assaults in Hollywood, we need to re-examine every area of society, and prioritize places where sexual assault statistics are high. To ensure a safe place for female and male students, “No More Sweeping,” will acknowledge everyone’s experiences, creating an inclusive and informative environment. Here I will explain why a campaign like this is needed, and why for the future mental and physical health of sexual assault victims, we need to support victims and offer a safe platform for every experience.
An American is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, and every 8 minutes, that victim is a child. Only 310 out of 1,000 assaults are reported, but only 6 out of 1,000 perpetrators end up in prison (RAINN). Although sexual assault is egregious, these perpetrators are less likely to end up in prison than other criminals. The reason that is seems to be that victims do not report their cases. So why are sexual assault victims afraid to share their stories? Victims often do not report their assault because of many reasons, including the fear of reprisal, the belief that the police could not and would not do anything about the case, or because they simply did not know how to approach an official.
Are you okay? Please do not cry. You are not alone. You do not know me but I am listening; I will wipe your tears, and stand by your side. Because what happen to you is not right, it is unjust, unmoral, and revolting. Although I was not there, I am here now. Although I have not experienced it, I am listening. However, I will never truly understand what you went through because I have not lived it. Sexual assault is “illegal sexual contact that usually involves force upon a person without consent or is inflicting upon a person who is incapable of giving consent”, according to Webster Dictionary. I will not judge you, I will not patronize you, and you can trust me. What happened that night? Can you remember? What started out as a fun night with drinking and dancing; ended with your cold naked body lying upon the ground. You were intoxicated, incoherent, and unconscious. Your blood alcohol level and your dashing good looks should not make you vulnerable or a victim to inhumane acts of sexual violence.
Male student athletes make up 3.3% of the population but are responsible for 19% of sexual assaults and 35% of domestic violence. One in three college sexual assaults are committed by an athlete or athletes. From 1995 to 1998 there were an average of one hundred sexual assault charges against athletes a year. In 1995, 8.5% of the general population charged with a crime were sexual assault, 36.8% of crimes involving athletes were sexual assault. The general population conviction rate is 80%, athlete conviction rate is 38%.(NCAVA) Since not all rapes are reported we can assume that these numbers are much higher. Most athlete rapes are acquaintance rapes. Many of the women blame themselves and do not report the crime. These are very scary statistics. Proving that there is a problem and steps need to be taken to change these statistics.
I choose this topic because sexual assault is one of the most offensive crimes committed in our society. Not only is it a threat to the community, but it has a physically and psychologically effect on the victim in many ways. For the last couple of decades, sexual assault, rape, and child molestation has become the focal point of public concerns today. According to a 1993 National Crime Victimization Survey conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, about 500,000 rapes or sexual assaults occur each year (Statistics, March 2010). The Department of Justice states that, “rape crimes have risen nearly three times as fast as the total crime rate”, although other studies have shown statistics that are in
The overconsumption of alcohol is a recipe for disaster concerning sexual assault. Former Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel issued directives concurrent with the DoD Sexual Assault Prevention Strategy for 2014-2016 that had a requirement in that alcohol policies will be reviewed and revised where necessary and address risk alcohol poses to others, including risks of alcohol being used as a weapon against victims. This indicates to me that alcohol poses a serious threat to a healthy stable environment that is free from sexual assault and harassment.
In America, 1 out of 6 women fall victim to rape at some point in their lives—completed or not (“Victims of Sexual Violence” 1). However, this is only one form of sexual assault that women are forced to face. Groping and other non-consensual, sexual acts are also examples of sexual assault (“Sexual Assault” 1).. Many perpetrators of sexual assault roam free, practically unaffected and likely to commit another similar act, while the woman could feel the effects of this event for her entire life. This problem affects women from around the globe—and it’s time that we put an end to it, because if we don’t, who will? If boys were to be taught how and how not to treat women in their early years, sexual assault would not be as prevalent, thus, women, including us, would not have to worry as much about enduring this kind of torment.
Frustratingly, these days, some people still treat sexual assault as an “okay” thing, making comments such as “she was asking for it” and that she was “equally responsible” for the situation. This is exactly the sort of mindset that is contributing to the startling statistics today.
SAN FRANCISCO>> In light of Brock Turner’s, release from prison on Sept. 2 there has been a nationwide discussion on sexual assault on college campuses.
There is a definite correlation between alcohol and sexual assault. A sexual assault can be defined as a sexual act occurring without verbal consent, or when force is used in a sexual encounter against the other person's will. Of all the men who admit to committing sexual assault, 55% report being under the influence of alcohol at the time, with 26% of the men being drunk (Stanford University, 1999). Of all the women who report being sexually assaulted, 53% of them report being under the influence of alcohol, with 21% of these women being drunk (Stanford University, 1999). These facts suggest that alcohol is a major factor in sexual assaults. Crimes such as these could be greatly reduced if
In Daniel Luzer’s article “Is Alchohol Really to Blame for the Prevalence of Sexual Assault on College Campuses?” publish in Pacific Standard, on the 18th of November in 2013, the answer to the question is shared. In several cases of sexual assault drinking is present. Even though, drinking has continuously been done by numerous college students over the years the number of assaults are continuing to rise. Why is this happening so often? According to Luzer, things have changed from the past, but not the amount of drinking being done by students. Environments in which boys and girls have now has changed drastically compared to the past. Rules have changed, dorms, going to church, the way students dress, and other factors have all changed. Therefore,
There are different notions that the society has towards both Brock Turner and the victim, but whether good or bad, this case has sparked many new perspectives and conversations about situations such as this. The article proposes that this is only the first step to developing a culture that does not tolerate sexual violence in any form and a judicial system that deals appropriately with cases that involve sexual assault.
The problem: Sexual assault has become one of the forefront issues of our day. There has been an increasing rate of sexual assaults in our society and specifically on college campuses.
Sexual harassment and assault are often associated with alcohol use: In a recent survey of college students, 75 percent of male perpetrators and 55 percent of female victims said they were drinking at the time of the attack.
Sexual assault and rape are on-going issues plaguing college campuses all across the nation. In part, I believe this is due to a lack of education on what sexual assault actually is. All too often, victims are leaving these situations feeling confused about something that they will forever deem "a weird night". It often isn't until much later that they realize what happened to them was a violation of their body and of their rights.