The Prevalence Of Sexual Assault On College Campuses

Sexual assault and rape in common language are usually referred to as the same subject. The word sexual assault is the main category while rape is a specific entity within this category. Rape is a term used to refer to the act of being forced or coerced into performing oral, anal, or vaginal penetration. While sexual assault is the term used to refer to any sexual act unwanted by the participant that ranges from being touched to penetration; that involves intimidation or deception. In general rape/sexual assault is the most underreport crime; however if rape/sexual assault is reported women are more likely to come forward than men. There are barriers that are keeping the victims of rape/sexual assaults at bay. According to Pino and Meier (1999) “the underreporting of this crime is the result of a number of reasons that are related to the ways in which rape is perceived and defined”. The general public when hearing about rape/sexual assault assumes that the victim was a woman; when approximately “5% to 10% of rape victims are male” (Sable, Danis, Mauzy, & Gallagher, 2006).

According to Marshall University’s Women Center, the definition of rape culture is “an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture.” (“Rape Culture.”) This can be found in ideas such as victim-blaming, trivialization of assault, and pressure for individuals to adhere to strict gender roles. This culture is

Many individuals might wonder, what is rape culture? “Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety.” Most women limit their behavior because of the existence of rape. (Marshall University)

“Among undergraduate students, 23.1% of females and 5.4% of males experience rape or sexual assault” (RAINN). Rape is a threat virtually anywhere people go, but no place has a higher risk for sexual assault than college campuses. However, many of these occurrences go without penalties against the attacker, and even more are not reported at all. The lack of consequences for the accused indirectly suggests that rape and other forms of sexual assault are allowable and create further problems for the victims of the horrendous actions. Harsher punishments need to be given out for sexual assault on campus, as the current rulings are biased and immoral.

Rape is a crime in which one person forces another person with threats, physical force or deception to have sex or sexual contact. In many cases rape is often through penetration, but victims are submitted to rape under different circumstances, such as oral sex, therefore rape has many muddled definitions. The various definitions of rape is a consequence of different cultural backgrounds and stereotypes. Sexual assaults have an effect on everyone either directly or indirectly, especially when victim blaming. Rape is not biased, for it can occur to any person despite their age, gender, religion, education level, sexual orientation or ethnicity. “According to the Department of Justice the average number of rape cases reported annually is approximately 89,000, but many victims are fearful to report their case to the police, for they do not want to be blamed for their assault.” (The Offender 's) Victim blaming in rape cases is a direct correlation to stereotypes. Some stereotypes that affect victim blaming is sexual orientation, promiscuity, gender roles, and race. “These contributing factors are stemmed from the much larger problem of society 's idea of gender and race stereotypes.” (Gill)

Another action that colleges could do is create a mandatory class on appropriate college conduct that every incoming freshman/new student has to take, to raise awareness about the risks and consequences of behaviors, avoidance techniques, and self defense. Education can raise awareness of the risks and consequences, as well as teach prevention strategies. If a student sees someone else getting attacked, they know the appropriate actions to take to help the person get out of that situation. As well, students can learn about the many risks that come with sexual assault, such as proper communication with people about whether or not they want to engage in those kinds of situations. However, nonverbal communication can also be a factor in the amount of sexual assaults that occur on these campuses. For example, women should refrain from wearing revealing clothes such as a see-through dress, basically anything that is too revealing to be wearing on a college campus. When guys see women wearing clothes like that, some of them believe that that woman wants to engage in sexual situations, even though the woman might tell them

Campuses are putting up a visage to distract parents and students at a vulnerable time of college hunting just so they can get more money. Our money is more important to colleges than children’s safety, just so they are more marketable they ignore the true troubles students are facing. Rather then administration narrowing down on students mental health they focus on the students grade point averages and the final exams administered. Statistics show that “a 2014 report by the U.S. Department of Justice estimated that 80% of student victims don’t report their rape or sexual assault to police, based on data from 1995–2013. Just because a school had no rape reports doesn’t mean no rapes happened.”(Reddit) Colleges are too naive to report them so they can have a better

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

On college campuses across the nation, more sexual assaults have begun to surface, but only a few of these assaults get attention. Sexual assaults can be a very touchy subject meaning that a lot of people, friends and even college counselors or therapists advise the victims not to speak up about the incident. I believe that most of the time administration tries to protect the attacker rather than look out for the victim. Because of this, very few cases are actually investigated properly. Men typically use alcohol or drugs to coerce women into having sex, and some will simply just use force or threats against their victim. While men perform most acts of sexual assault, women are typically the ones who are blamed for whatever happens to them. This blame is generally put onto the women because of the way they dress or act, while the men face little to no repercussions for their actions. Sexual assaults on college campuses have become a huge epidemic across the nation, which is why preventative measures need to be taken to reduce the chances of sexual assault on our college campuses.

Many young college students, girls especially, are targeted by other students or even faculty. Jamie Stiehm, a columnist for newspapers such as the huffington post, and websites like the New York Times online, believes that, “For now, college-age women remain as vulnerable in an atmosphere more highly charged with rape in the cultural conversation as ever before.” This holds true in many schools and situations around the country because of society’s view towards sexual assault and rape. People make it seem like less of a problem than it really is. In many colleges around the nation, undergraduates and younger students in general are not fully equipped with the knowledge or resources available to them for rape prevention. In that type of environment, one that makes new students unprepared, makes their shyness, their fear of the attacker, and their silence a weapon for the attacker to use (Stiehm). Armed with these types of weapons, it makes the “rape culture” very real for students, especially young women who have been intoxicated or overpowered. These factors create a plethora of dangerous situations students could find themselves

“I didn’t know…” that is what all the students on campus say, when they are being forced into the back of a uniform vehicle. In college, there are many contributing factors to the high frequency of sexual assaults on campuses. Well of course they would not have known as they were most under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Another factor would be their living environment, and the societal norms.

Rape culture is an issue that has gained moment through the feminist movement within the last couple of decades. Rape itself has been around since the beginning of time and its definition has changed over the years. In the United

“Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence against women is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture” (1a) Today you can't turn the television on without hearing references to rape culture. Jokes about sexual abuse plague every sitcom and news channels question rape victim’s every move. Even entire shows are dedicated to the topic such as Law and Order SVU. The media trivializes rape leading to a rape culture in America.

Rape is an experience which shakes the foundations of the lives of the victims. For many its effect is long term, impairing their capacity for personal relationships, altering their behaviour and values and generating fear, Temkin (1986:17).

What is rape culture? Rape culture, a term created by feminists circa 1972, ‘…is best defined as a culture in which rape is prevalent, pervasive, and