What is Sexual Assault?

We define sexual assault as all non-consensual, uninvited forms of sexual misconduct whether or not they involve force, incapacitation, or sexual penetration (Cantor et al., 2015). This includes verbal, physical and cyber sexual harassment, sexual touching, rape, stalking, intimate partner violence, and co­ercive physical contact of a sexual nature.

Who is Affected?

Although female students aged 18 to 24 years are three times more likely to be assaulted than any other women, everyone can be a victim of sexual assault in college. Surveys found that nearly 48 percent of all college students were sexually assaulted, including more than 23 percent female and 5 percent male undergraduate students. Transgender, genderqueer and non-conforming (TGQN) and female students had the highest risk for sexual assault when compared to males, with 75 percent of TGQN undergraduates reporting being assaulted at least once.

Who are the Perpetrators?

This can be an intimate partner, best friend, roommate, or classmate. He or she can be your coach, instructor, sports teammate, or a complete stranger that you meet at a party or on your way from the dorm. Surveys indicate that almost all female and TGQN undergraduate students who were sexually assaulted identified another student as the perpetrator, most often a male friend or acquaintance.  The nice boy from a wealthy family who seems so well-mannered can be a perpetrator given the right circumstances.

Do Alcohol and Drugs Play a Role?

More often than not, drugs and alcohol are common themes in over 50% of rape incidents on college campuses.  Both women and men put themselves at risk while binge drinking (Abbey, 2002). Decision making becomes impaired and the ability to legally consent to engage in sexual acts no longer exists.  In addition to binge drinking, rape can still occur when drinking is not consumed at such an aggressive rate. At times, incidents of sexual assault can occur on dates.  Over the last few years, there has been a substantial increase in reported sexual assaults with the use of over 20 different types of date rape drugs including flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) (Schwarts, Milteer & LeBeau, 2000).

What Inhibits Individuals from Reporting these Assaults?

No one individual act of sexual violence is any less horrific to its victim than another, but what holds true for the majority of victims is the lack of reporting to authorities, on or off college campuses, according to a survey of students who experienced nonconsensual sexual contact or some form of harassment prepared for the Association of American Universities (Fisher, et al., 2016). As varying are the acts of violence against their victims, so too are the varying reasons victims do not report the crimes.  The greatest percentage of students responded not thinking the act was serious enough to report; others were too embarrassed, ashamed, or found it too emotionally difficult to share.

Some students did not report assaults because they did not think anything would be done by campus or law enforcement, others were fearful of negative social consequences, and some did not want the perpetrator to get in trouble.  Other students were fearful the claim would not be kept confidential or did not think that anyone would believe them.  In addition, many simply did not know where to go or who to tell.

Each subgroup of victims lists varying reasons for failing to report sexual violence. Females are often made to feel they were somehow at fault, male victims are embarrassed to admit violence to authorities, and the LGBT community reports “perceptions of police bias that may stem from homophobic attitudes” (Robinson, 2016, p. 23).  We hope that by utilizing this resource, you feel better equipped to address some of these concerns to help yourselves and your peers to know the resources you have at your disposal.

Why Prevention is Important

Even though a fair criminal justice framework is needed to protect and defend citizens, sexual assault should be viewed as primarily a community issue (CDC, 2014), and that’s why we are reaching out to you for help!

There are many things institutions can do to increase awareness of drugs and alcohol abuse, increase awareness of sexual assault, disprove many of the myths associated with sexual assault, and to educate both men and women across campuses on how to decrease the risk of a sexual assault occurring. In a 1999 study on rape myth acceptance in college students, Hinck and Thomas concluded, “men and individuals who had not attended a rape awareness workshop expressed weaker disagreement with rape myths than women and individuals who had attended a rape awareness workshop” (Hinck & Thomas, 1999, p. 108). This seems obvious, but it points to the importance of awareness on college campuses and how educating students can help increase awareness and decrease the number of victims.  By reviewing these resources, you can begin to educate and empower yourself to help play a part in the prevention of sexual assault incidents across the US.

References

Abbey, A. (2002). Alcohol-related sexual assault: A common problem among college students. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, Supplement J. Stud. Alcohol Suppl., (S14), 118-128. doi:10.15288/jsas.2002.s14.118 

Cantor, D., Fisher, B., Chibnall, S., Townsend, R., Lee, H., Bruce, C., & Thomas, G. (2015). Report on the AAU campus climate survey on sexual assault and sexual misconduct. The Association of American Universities. Westat. Retrieved from www.aau.edu › Publications › AAU Reports

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Preventing sexual violence on college campuses: Lessons from research and practice. Retrieved September 22, 2016, from https://www.notalone.gov/schools

Fisher, B.S., Peterson, S., Cantor, D., Townsend, R., and Sun, H. (2016).  Victims’ Use of Resources, Evaluation of Resources, and Reasons for Not Using Resources. The   Association of American Universities. Westat. Retrieved from www.aau.edu ›         Publications › AAU Reports

Hinck, S., & Thomas, R. W. (1999). Rape myth acceptance in college students: how far have we come? Sex Roles, 40(9), 815-832. doi:DOI: 10.1023/A:1018816920168 

Robinson, R. B. (2016). Examination of Reporting, Perception of Police Bias, and Differential Police Response: Sexual Orientation Bias Crimes.

Schwartz, R. H., Milteer, R., & Lebeau, M. A. (2000). Drug-facilitated sexual assault (‘Date Rape’). Southern Medical Journal, 93(6), 558-561. doi:10.1097/00007611-200093060-00002