How common are sexual assaults on college campuses? According to the ABC News website, approximately one in five women are victims of rape or attempted rape, and only a slim percentage of them actually report the experience. Many women are often talked too, by parents and college campus staff, about campus rapes and how to prevent being put into that type of situation. Although we, as students, like to believe that we know how to prevent being sexually assaulted by a peer, without talking to others, it is often not that simple.
With one in five women being victims of rape or attempted rape on college campuses, it makes you wonder if college campuses are really doing everything possible in order to prevent rapes from occurring. In a study conducted by the Center of Public Integrity, thirty-three female students who reported being sexually assaulted by another student were interviewed about their experience and the aftermath of the crime that had been committed. Just over half of the thirty-three women stated that their attacker had been found responsible for the sexual assault, and only four of the student victims said that the findings of sexual assault led to an expulsion (Center of Public Integrity, 2010). These numbers are devastating. While victims are left with a tremendous amount of guilt, tragedy, sadness, and other emotions, most of their attackers are merely “slapped on the wrist” and allowed to continue attending the school. As a result of this low rate of expulsion, many victims often feel responsible for the experience and often drop out of school while their attacker ends up graduating (Center of Public Integrity, 2010). This is why the percentage of reporting rapes is so low. Of those thirty-three women interviewed, a third of them stated that school administrators discouraged them from pursuing complaints (USA Today, 2009). Victims often do not receive the support they need after experiencing sexual assault. This is one reason why forty-two percent of rapes are never reported (Rape on College Campuses, 2001-2002). Victims need to be reassured that they can receive support and help from not only their parents and friends, but by the campus where the criminal act took place.
The video below was shown on ABC Nightline a little over a month ago. A young woman, Megan, had been sexually assaulted in her dorm building and received minimal support from the college:
A major cause of sexual assault within our college campus has to do with the experimentation with drugs and alcohol. This experimentation leads twenty-five percent of all college students to have poor judgment, and makes it one of the top causes of rape on college campuses. Once sexually assaulted, a victim is often left feeling responsible, guilty and ashamed. Because of these feelings, rape is often underreported by the victims. When rape is left unreported, attackers often feel empowered and may go on committing other sexual assaults (Rape on College Campuses, 2001-2002).
Rape is an uncomfortable subject that no one wants to discuss. It is crucial that we realize that it is an issue within our campuses, and in order to prevent rapes students should be encouraged to walk in groups, especially during the night hours. College campus staff should be required to show students the emergency call boxes on campus, and most importantly, students should be informed that they can come forward and speak to someone if they have been sexually assaulted. Although we, as individuals, must watch over ourselves while at parties and hanging around campus late at night, it is essential for students to feel confident and comfortable to come forward and notify others that they have been sexually assaulted.
References
The Center for Public Integrity: http://www.publicintegrity.org/investigations/campus_assault/articles/entry/1945/
Video: ABC Nightline: Campus Assaults: Widespread, Underreported: http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/college-campus-assaults-constant-threat/story?id=11410988
USA Today: Report: Universities try to cover up rapes: http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-12-03-college-rapes_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip
Rapes on College Campuses: www.bxscience.edu/publications/forensics/rapeFINAL.ppt
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Blog Post 2: Domestic Violence
What constitutes something as being an act of domestic violence? Domestic violence is often referred to as, “violence between intimates living together or who have previously cohabitated.” Many people believe that domestic violence can only occur if physical force is present that is most certainly not the case. Domestic violence happens in various ways, and is essentially based on different behaviors that the abuser expresses. These behaviors can include, but are not limited to, physical, sexual, psychological, and various verbal behaviors that are intended to control their partner. Domestic violence is an increasing problem in our society. It is essential that victims of this crime are willing to receive help in order to escape this unfortunate life style. Examples of the different behaviors that can be exhibited through domestic violence are illustrated below: 
Many people believe that women are the only victims of this horrendous crime, but there have been reports indicating that men have also been abused by their female counterparts. Domestic violence can happen to any person, of any race, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, or culture. Although any one person can become a victim of domestic violence, women are still more likely to be the ultimate victim. According to the domestic violence website, it is stated that “about 1 in 3 American women have been physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives” (Commonwealth Fund, Health Concerns Across a Woman's Lifespan: the Commonwealth Fund 1998 Survey of Women's Health, 1999). This is an issue that we cannot take a backseat on. The statistic indicates that out of fifty women, approximately seventeen of them will be physically or sexually abused by their loved one.
Although domestic violence is a problem in our society, why do so many victims continue to stay with their abusers? Last week, I conducted a “ride along” with a Davis police officer and asked him this exact question. He responded by telling me that victims are often afraid to leave their abuser because they are afraid of the consequences that could come from reporting a domestic violence incidence. Another reason why victims do not report abuse to officers is because the victims believe that they are deeply in love with their abusive partners. The night of this ride along the police officer had to follow up with a victim that had been abused the night before. When we arrived at the victim’s apartment the officer knocked on her door and proceeded to ask some questions to her brother who answered. Like the victim, the brother acted as if he had no idea of any domestic violence abuse and was unaware of any physical violence that had taken place the night before. When we left the crime scene, the officer was suspicious that the victim and her family members were not completely truthful. He said that it was unfortunate that the victim was not willing to help herself as the officer had no reason to arrest her abuser. This is apparently very common in accordance with domestic violence cases. Victims are too attached and in love with their abuser that when they are abused they deny it. According to an article published on the BBC website, police officers respond to up to eighty incidents of domestic abuse per day. The officers believe that it is their duty to protect the victims, but they are unable to help victims unless the victims want to help themselves.
We can sit here and say that it is up to the victim to come forward to law enforcement and report their incidence of domestic abuse, but it is not that easy for those who are victimized. Abusers often build up their tension and abuse their victims. According to the domestic violence website, after the abuse has been conducted, the abuser goes through a period known as the “making-up” phase. This phase includes the abuser apologizing, or promising to never abuse again. Victims may be reassured by this phase and believe that their abuser feels bad for the wrongdoing. The last phase is the calming phase. This phase includes the abuser acting like nothing ever happened. Once the calming phase has worn off, the cycle often starts over. It is clearly a cycle that is hard for the victim to escape. As a society, what we can do for these individuals is encourage them to receive help in order to make a better life for themselves.
References
Violence Wheel photo: Presented on: http://www.domesticviolence.org/violence-wheel/
Lanschire news article: Lanschire Police’s plea to domestic violence victims: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/lancashire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8866000/8866498.stm
Book - Domestic Violence: The Criminal Justice Response: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=9jCJXOxKXoUC&oi=fnd&pg=PP10&dq=Domestic+Violence&ots=ZWVxczxCdX&sig=NkuJVKDxg2B-72flgMewUWe-hwM%23v=onepage&q&f=false
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