Impact Of Rape Of Women On College Campuses
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Contra Costa College
The rape of women has been an issue for many centuries and the incidences of rapes continues to increase. However, people seem to have this mental vignette of a stranger attacking a woman in an alley or while she’s walking alone. Although this scenario is capable of occurring and has been experienced by some women, the majority of rape cases are acquaintance rapes – in which the female knows her attacker. And a majority of acquaintance rapes take place on college campuses. There’s many issues that arise when some think of a woman being attacked by someone she knows, especially if she had been previously intimate with that individual. The importance of the fact that rape is a crime should overshadow …show more content…
the possibility of the female having previous relations with the male. Focus should therefore be directed to the underlying issue: innocent college women are being victimized before the time they even earn their bachelor’s degree. There’s common rape myths that come into play, such as if the woman brought the assault upon herself. Some women also are reluctant to come forward about the attack for a variety of reasons, and their credibility becomes weakened as time passes. Additionally, some individuals witness signs of a potential attack but again, for a variety of reasons, do not come forth and anything to prevent the rape from occurring. Contrary to the aforementioned points, there may be potential benefits to not labeling an attack as a rape to the victim. The all so known rape in a dark alleyway gives people today the misconception that rapes will only take place in dark and lonely areas, and so long as you are in a public setting surrounded by others, you are safe. However, in recent years, it’s been discovered that college campuses are becoming a hotspot for criminal activity. Research has found that a large mass of college women come into contact with me in both private and public areas of college campuses, and at a variety of times. Previous research also indicates that college women are at a greater risk of rape and other sexual assaults than women in the general population or in a comparable age group. Therefore, college women and their vulnerability to being attacked on college campuses needs special awareness, from both students and faculty. The Student Right to Know and Security Campus Act was passed in 1990 by U.S. Congress. This act mandated that all colleges and universities whom participate in Federal student aid programs provide students and employees with mailings or publications of security policies and crime statistics for the college or university that they are attending or employed by (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). This information is beneficial as students could be more aware of their surroundings while on campus at all times and perhaps, look out for their fellow students as well. One might conclude that the risk of college women being raped is not high.
That type of mentality however, the “1 in 36 college women is not all that bad” is what keeps the victimizing continuing in a vicious cycle. Not enough attention is being brought upon this issue, and most people tend to not care enough about such a tragic event until it is their friend, their child, or even them that is the next victim. Fisher et al. (2000) argue that if the rate of 1 in 36 women being raped were to be calculated for an entire 1 year, the data would indicate that 5% of women would be victims of rape in the college career. Larger institutions would have higher incidences of rapes; for example, a university with a 10,000 student populations may have 350 or more rape cases within a single academic …show more content…
year. According to Sampson (2002), most acquaintance rapes occur when two people are in the same place such as a party or studying in a dorm room, not on dates as the typical “date rape” scenarios depict. Date rapes only account for 13 percent of college rapes. Fewer than 5 percent of victims report the assault to the police. Fear of retaliation and vengeance was the primary reason for 40 percent of the women as to why they did not report the rape to the police. Other reasons as to why victims chose to not reporting the attack to authorities was: embarrassment and shame, fear of publicity, social isolation, self-blame for drinking or being alone with the assailant, and fear that their family will find out. Many of the victims of acquaintance rape do not label the attack as rape. Perhaps the reasoning for this is because it’s hard for the victim to imagine that an acquaintance could harm them in such a way. Again, the misconstrued vignette of the typical stranger rape comes into play. A lot of people think in order for an attack to be labeled as a rape, the attacker must have to be a stranger. Often times, the victim is stuck in this mindset of self-blame, and that they must have done something to bring the attack upon themselves, especially if they and the attacker were at the same party and had been drinking. A 2005 Amnesty International Report on Sexual Assault found that 30% or respondents stated the woman was at fault for being raped if she was drunk. Her intoxication is criticized and turned into responsibility for the attack. The tendency to blame the victim in a situation like this is that it builds up a tolerance for the crime. It sends off the message to not only the victim but other rape victims, as well as the public, that it’s not considered rape if you were drunk. This not only makes victims reluctant to report the assault to police or medical personnel, but give future attackers the idea that if you get a woman drunk, you could get away with attacking her. Perpetrators go unpunished and the victim winds up feeling victimized twice – by the rapist and the authorities, as well as the public (Grubb & Harrower, 2009). Officers oftentimes incorrectly think that a rape report is false if the victim had a prior relationship with the offender (this includes having been previously intimate with him), alcohol or drugs were consumed by victim at time of assault, victim delays coming forth to authorities and doesn’t undergo a rape medical exam, victim initially blames themselves or is hesitant to label the incident as a rape, or if there is no visible evidence of injury. However, only approximately 20 percent of college rape victim have other injuries including bruises, black eyes, cuts, swelling or chipped teeth. These findings call for better investigative observations from authorities and understanding that the victim is still traumatized by events that took place (Sampson, 2002). As previously mentioned, many times acquaintance rapes take place at a party that the victim and attacker are both at. This means that there are others around that could potentially prevent the assault from taking place. However, according to McMahon (2010) many bystanders are not willing to come forward in such an event due to a variety of reasons. Often times, an individual is not entirely sure what is going on and may think the assault is a simple act of the female teasing the male. Other times, the willingness for one to come forward depends on the bystander’s view on the responsibility of the female victim in the assault, or her “worthiness”. Given this finding that the ability for a bystander to come forth during an assault is based on their view of rape and rape victims, the first step in rape prevention perhaps is to educate bystanders. This essentially encompasses every individual, as each person could be next and put in the position of deciding whether to prevent or ignore an assault.
The effects being raped have on a woman are embedded within her for life, and often the victim is traumatized for a period of time – or sometimes forever.
Rape victims commonly suffer from depression and anxiety. Part of the recovery process is the victim coming to terms with the assault and being able to label the attack as an actual “rape”. According to McMullin and White (2006), labeling the experience as rape is beneficial. Women ought to redefine what has happened to them so that they can attempt to move past, and recover, from it. Women who have labeled their experience as “rape” do indeed score better on psychosocial adjustment variables, and report less interference at work from emotional problems and less drinking. Although society benefits from labeling the incident as a rape, such as increased awareness of the power or rape and holding attackers responsible for their criminal actions, there aren’t that many benefits for the victim. Kahn, Jackson, Kully, Badger, and Jackon argue (as cited in McMullin & White, 2006) that women who choose not to label the incident as a “rape” have had less negative emotional reactions to the experience. This may be due to the lack of associated stigma that comes from labeling an experience as a rape. If one does not feel they have been raped, there is nothing for one to feel negatively or shameful
about.
Nonetheless, the majority or research agrees that it’s healthy and beneficial for a woman to come to terms with the fact that she has been raped and encourage her to get the help she needs to recover. In conclusion, the widespread of rapes of college women is on the rise and continues to increase. Studies have proven that acquaintance rape is more common than stranger rape, and this ought to bring awareness to students and faculty. Additionally, bystander intervention could prevent many of these attempted and completed rapes with educating the importance of standing together as a community because acquaintance rape could easily happen to anyone. Most victimized women did not see the attack coming and often still can’t comes to terms that it happened after the fact. All women are worthy of being saved from harm, and if awareness is not brought upon individuals now, the victimization of women will only continue to rise with every passing academic year.
References
Fisher, B. S., Cullen, F. T., Turner, M. G., Department of Justice, W. e., & Department of Justice, W. s. (2000). The Sexual Victimization of College Women. Research Report. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
Grubb, A., & Harrower, J. (2009). Understanding Attribution of Blame in Cases of Rape: An Analysis of Participant Gender, Type of Rape and Perceived Similarity to the Victim. Journal Of Sexual Aggression, 15(1), 63-81. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
McMahon, S. (2010). Rape Myth Beliefs and Bystander Attitudes among Incoming College Students. Journal Of American College Health, 59(1), 3-11. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
McMullin, D., & White, J. W. (2006). Long-Term Effects of Labeling a Rape Experience. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 30(1), 96-105. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
Sampson, R., & Department of Justice, W. C. (2002). Acquaintance Rape of College Students. Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
Contra Costa College
The rape of women has been an issue for many centuries and the incidences of rapes continues to increase. However, people seem to have this mental vignette of a stranger attacking a woman in an alley or while she’s walking alone. Although this scenario is capable of occurring and has been experienced by some women, the majority of rape cases are acquaintance rapes – in which the female knows her attacker. And a majority of acquaintance rapes take place on college campuses. There’s many issues that arise when some think of a woman being attacked by someone she knows, especially if she had been previously intimate with that individual. The importance of the fact that rape is a crime should overshadow …show more content…
the possibility of the female having previous relations with the male. Focus should therefore be directed to the underlying issue: innocent college women are being victimized before the time they even earn their bachelor’s degree. There’s common rape myths that come into play, such as if the woman brought the assault upon herself. Some women also are reluctant to come forward about the attack for a variety of reasons, and their credibility becomes weakened as time passes. Additionally, some individuals witness signs of a potential attack but again, for a variety of reasons, do not come forth and anything to prevent the rape from occurring. Contrary to the aforementioned points, there may be potential benefits to not labeling an attack as a rape to the victim. The all so known rape in a dark alleyway gives people today the misconception that rapes will only take place in dark and lonely areas, and so long as you are in a public setting surrounded by others, you are safe. However, in recent years, it’s been discovered that college campuses are becoming a hotspot for criminal activity. Research has found that a large mass of college women come into contact with me in both private and public areas of college campuses, and at a variety of times. Previous research also indicates that college women are at a greater risk of rape and other sexual assaults than women in the general population or in a comparable age group. Therefore, college women and their vulnerability to being attacked on college campuses needs special awareness, from both students and faculty. The Student Right to Know and Security Campus Act was passed in 1990 by U.S. Congress. This act mandated that all colleges and universities whom participate in Federal student aid programs provide students and employees with mailings or publications of security policies and crime statistics for the college or university that they are attending or employed by (Fisher, Cullen, & Turner, 2000). This information is beneficial as students could be more aware of their surroundings while on campus at all times and perhaps, look out for their fellow students as well. One might conclude that the risk of college women being raped is not high.
That type of mentality however, the “1 in 36 college women is not all that bad” is what keeps the victimizing continuing in a vicious cycle. Not enough attention is being brought upon this issue, and most people tend to not care enough about such a tragic event until it is their friend, their child, or even them that is the next victim. Fisher et al. (2000) argue that if the rate of 1 in 36 women being raped were to be calculated for an entire 1 year, the data would indicate that 5% of women would be victims of rape in the college career. Larger institutions would have higher incidences of rapes; for example, a university with a 10,000 student populations may have 350 or more rape cases within a single academic …show more content…
year. According to Sampson (2002), most acquaintance rapes occur when two people are in the same place such as a party or studying in a dorm room, not on dates as the typical “date rape” scenarios depict. Date rapes only account for 13 percent of college rapes. Fewer than 5 percent of victims report the assault to the police. Fear of retaliation and vengeance was the primary reason for 40 percent of the women as to why they did not report the rape to the police. Other reasons as to why victims chose to not reporting the attack to authorities was: embarrassment and shame, fear of publicity, social isolation, self-blame for drinking or being alone with the assailant, and fear that their family will find out. Many of the victims of acquaintance rape do not label the attack as rape. Perhaps the reasoning for this is because it’s hard for the victim to imagine that an acquaintance could harm them in such a way. Again, the misconstrued vignette of the typical stranger rape comes into play. A lot of people think in order for an attack to be labeled as a rape, the attacker must have to be a stranger. Often times, the victim is stuck in this mindset of self-blame, and that they must have done something to bring the attack upon themselves, especially if they and the attacker were at the same party and had been drinking. A 2005 Amnesty International Report on Sexual Assault found that 30% or respondents stated the woman was at fault for being raped if she was drunk. Her intoxication is criticized and turned into responsibility for the attack. The tendency to blame the victim in a situation like this is that it builds up a tolerance for the crime. It sends off the message to not only the victim but other rape victims, as well as the public, that it’s not considered rape if you were drunk. This not only makes victims reluctant to report the assault to police or medical personnel, but give future attackers the idea that if you get a woman drunk, you could get away with attacking her. Perpetrators go unpunished and the victim winds up feeling victimized twice – by the rapist and the authorities, as well as the public (Grubb & Harrower, 2009). Officers oftentimes incorrectly think that a rape report is false if the victim had a prior relationship with the offender (this includes having been previously intimate with him), alcohol or drugs were consumed by victim at time of assault, victim delays coming forth to authorities and doesn’t undergo a rape medical exam, victim initially blames themselves or is hesitant to label the incident as a rape, or if there is no visible evidence of injury. However, only approximately 20 percent of college rape victim have other injuries including bruises, black eyes, cuts, swelling or chipped teeth. These findings call for better investigative observations from authorities and understanding that the victim is still traumatized by events that took place (Sampson, 2002). As previously mentioned, many times acquaintance rapes take place at a party that the victim and attacker are both at. This means that there are others around that could potentially prevent the assault from taking place. However, according to McMahon (2010) many bystanders are not willing to come forward in such an event due to a variety of reasons. Often times, an individual is not entirely sure what is going on and may think the assault is a simple act of the female teasing the male. Other times, the willingness for one to come forward depends on the bystander’s view on the responsibility of the female victim in the assault, or her “worthiness”. Given this finding that the ability for a bystander to come forth during an assault is based on their view of rape and rape victims, the first step in rape prevention perhaps is to educate bystanders. This essentially encompasses every individual, as each person could be next and put in the position of deciding whether to prevent or ignore an assault.
The effects being raped have on a woman are embedded within her for life, and often the victim is traumatized for a period of time – or sometimes forever.
Rape victims commonly suffer from depression and anxiety. Part of the recovery process is the victim coming to terms with the assault and being able to label the attack as an actual “rape”. According to McMullin and White (2006), labeling the experience as rape is beneficial. Women ought to redefine what has happened to them so that they can attempt to move past, and recover, from it. Women who have labeled their experience as “rape” do indeed score better on psychosocial adjustment variables, and report less interference at work from emotional problems and less drinking. Although society benefits from labeling the incident as a rape, such as increased awareness of the power or rape and holding attackers responsible for their criminal actions, there aren’t that many benefits for the victim. Kahn, Jackson, Kully, Badger, and Jackon argue (as cited in McMullin & White, 2006) that women who choose not to label the incident as a “rape” have had less negative emotional reactions to the experience. This may be due to the lack of associated stigma that comes from labeling an experience as a rape. If one does not feel they have been raped, there is nothing for one to feel negatively or shameful
about.
Nonetheless, the majority or research agrees that it’s healthy and beneficial for a woman to come to terms with the fact that she has been raped and encourage her to get the help she needs to recover. In conclusion, the widespread of rapes of college women is on the rise and continues to increase. Studies have proven that acquaintance rape is more common than stranger rape, and this ought to bring awareness to students and faculty. Additionally, bystander intervention could prevent many of these attempted and completed rapes with educating the importance of standing together as a community because acquaintance rape could easily happen to anyone. Most victimized women did not see the attack coming and often still can’t comes to terms that it happened after the fact. All women are worthy of being saved from harm, and if awareness is not brought upon individuals now, the victimization of women will only continue to rise with every passing academic year.
References
Fisher, B. S., Cullen, F. T., Turner, M. G., Department of Justice, W. e., & Department of Justice, W. s. (2000). The Sexual Victimization of College Women. Research Report. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
Grubb, A., & Harrower, J. (2009). Understanding Attribution of Blame in Cases of Rape: An Analysis of Participant Gender, Type of Rape and Perceived Similarity to the Victim. Journal Of Sexual Aggression, 15(1), 63-81. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
McMahon, S. (2010). Rape Myth Beliefs and Bystander Attitudes among Incoming College Students. Journal Of American College Health, 59(1), 3-11. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
McMullin, D., & White, J. W. (2006). Long-Term Effects of Labeling a Rape Experience. Psychology Of Women Quarterly, 30(1), 96-105. Retrieved from the ERIC database.
Sampson, R., & Department of Justice, W. C. (2002). Acquaintance Rape of College Students. Problem-Oriented Guides for Police Series. Retrieved from the ERIC database.