Sexual assault victims aren’t at fault
By Carla Gharibian
April 20, 2010 9:00 p.m.
Whether in a public or private place, in an alcohol-free atmosphere or one where people are drinking, all women deserve the right to know that they can enter social situations and still have control over their own bodies.
Though this is oftentimes not the case, in situations where assault occurs, culpability needs to be put on attackers who take advantage of victims when they are unable to give clear and informed consent. Alcohol can lower inhibitions, but to state that someone under the influence of alcohol is able to make fully coherent decisions is a belief with repercussions that apply to all college women.
Alex Knepper, a columnist for American University’s The Eagle newspaper, drew anger from students and faculty members when he stated in a recent article that “Any woman who heads to [a] party as an anonymous onlooker, drinks five cups of the jungle juice, and walks back to a boy’s room with him is indicating that she wants sex, OK? To cry “˜date rape’ after you sober up the next morning and regret the incident is the equivalent of pulling a gun to someone’s head and then later claiming that you didn’t ever actually intend to pull the trigger.”The assumption that a woman’s decision to drink among people of the opposite gender translates into a desire for sex is a sad misunderstanding of the definition of consent.
Whether the victim was assaulted by a stranger or by an acquaintance, the issue remains the same: suggesting that anyone would “ask” for non-consensual sex is a disgusting accusation that transfers blame from the attacker to the victim. The attitude creates an environment where victims are faced with admonition rather than the counseling, medical and legal help that is so vital following an attack.
An inability to focus guilt on the attacker additionally perpetuates a dangerous cycle of silence among victims. The result is what one U.S. Justice Department study found to be 95 percent of students who remain silent after their sexual attacks.
With research showing that repeat offenders account for a significant number of assaults, creating an atmosphere sympathetic to victims plays an important part in preventing future assaults.
In an interview with the Center for Public Integrity, psychologist David Lisak, a University of Massachusetts-Boston expert on campus sexual assault, said, “The vast majority of rapes are perpetrated by serial offenders who, on average, have six victims.”
Education needs to become an integral part of any attempts at dealing with sexual assault. Whether it is education about prevention or dealing with the aftermath of an assault, universities need to play an important role in creating a safe haven for those affected.
With the alarming statistic that one in five college women will become the victim of a rape or an attempted rape by the time she graduates, there is simply no excuse for not providing the necessary resources for victims.
UCLA has been recognized for its exemplary investigation of sexual assault and provision of educational resources for victims. Nancy Greenstein, director of Police Community Services at UCLA, was recently awarded the Jeanne Clery Campus Safety Award. Named after a Lehigh University student who was brutally raped and murdered in 1986, the award recognizes success in security policies and disclosure of campus crime.
“Education plays a major role and we really don’t want anybody to be victimized. … If we really study crimes on campus, there are common threads, and we can educate people about common threads and prevent incidents from occurring,” Greenstein said. “I think we really need campus partners to be involved in the issue and to help educate other students. Even though the resources are there, it is the students that can make the difference.”
Greenstein said additional campus resources include the UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services, the Dean of Students and the Office of Residential Life, among others.
Despite these improvements, sexual assault is still an unfortunate possibility for many women. Though assaults may continue in the future, by creating a community supportive of victim and not attacker, we can prevent the silence that too often is characteristic of these crimes.
