Imagine leaving the library late, one night and passing a nearby alley…it seems that a stranger’s shadow is seen vaguely by the lights illuminated from the various lampposts located around your campus. You immediately glance around in paranoia frantic, thinking of each Dateline episode that you had watched, scary movie, or newspaper article that you had previously read. Your entire body is engulfed in anxiety, as you rack your mind on what to grab or do and who to call in this circumstance of emergency, because, let’s face it…as a female alone in the wee hours of the night, any other suspicious looking person, of the opposite sex, wandering out that late, had to be an attacker. On the contrary, however, this isn’t precisely how it always happens. So your imagination can end here, because now I will give you the truths about sexual assault on college campuses.
Sexual Assault is a violent attack relating to or involving sex. Unfortunately, on college campuses it is very common and sadly also very much unrecognized. With only five percent being reported, the American Civil Liberties Union estimates that about ninety-five percent of college rape crimes are not reported. Many victims of sexual assault do not wish to come forward, in reporting their assault due to fear, humiliation, and even sometimes the unjustly feeling of deserving the abuse. Some victims are afraid to tell of their abuse, because of what their attacker may do or for fear of what fellow peers may think. Statistics also show that fewer than fifty percent of college women that met the definition of rape were not sure, because of lack of knowledge and myths on the subject, so they did not tell of their experience, from not considering what happened to them to be rape. So instead, they suffer alone in silence and find their own way to cope. The aftershock of being assaulted sexually may be depression, isolation, fear to get close to anyone else, or expectation of it happening again.
Most perpetrators of sexual abuse are not strangers; they are often acquaintances, professors, someone who you could be talking to, which in this day refers to a person that you are conversing with in hopes of potentially dating, or possibly even a family friend. The majority of offenders are fellow students, perhaps the most popular, involved in many organizations, very known, and least expected or professors of similar superiority. It is usually this type because even though they can have consensual sex, they are not used to not being mutually wanted so from hostility, they inflict “rape to control and show power, dominate, humiliate, and degrade the opposing victim.” Clevelandrapecrisis, sourced below, even states that “1 in 12 college-age men admit having fulfilled the prevailing definition of rape or attempted rape, yet virtually none of these men identify themselves as rapists.” However, Sexual Assault is not ever the victim’s fault. No matter, what they may have been wearing or acting, if it is not consented, than it is not a mutual want and should not be forced upon. Sexual Assault is not a sudden urge or sexual desire either. Humans are fully capable of self-control; therefore, it is up to each individual how we decide to act, express, or carry out any of our activities.
In conclusion, Sexual Assault is awfully common and can occur whether you are completely sober, or unwarily under the influence, during any given time, regardless of where you are located. It does not have to be a dark setting, creepy location or out of control party, a lot of the times, assaults actually occur in thought to be safe locations, such as a classroom, office, home apartment, or residence hall. Whether there are people at the same establishment as you or not Sexual Assault can happen, no matter who you are with, whether that be a thought to be trusted individual or not. So it is especially important to take precaution, and if something does not feel right, in the least bit, please follow your gut instinct and get out of the situation immediately, or if something does occur, report it immediately. Trust in the information given in each of these truths about sexual assault on college campuses and adhere. It is much better to be safe than sorry.
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