One in four college women report surviving rape or attempted rape. For such a disgustingly common occurrence, that figure doesn’t draw very much public ire. Is it because we’ve accepted rape as an unstoppable force?
The recent Stanford sexual assault case has been hailed as the proper response to attempted rape on college campus. Two bystanders observed a Stanford student lying on top of an unconscious girl outside of a fraternity party and chased him down as he fled, holding him until police arrived.
The suspect is now awaiting trial and the alleged victim is no longer in an unsafe, compromising position. Everything seems to have turned out as alright as circumstances around an attempted rape could allow. But what if those good Samaritans had not passed the alley at the right time to stop the alleged rape?
If the young woman had not been saved by the two bystanders, she probably would have ended up like many rape victims on college campuses. If she could even remember the incident the next morning, which is unlikely as she was black-out drunk at the time, she would have to muster up the courage to report the rape to campus officials. She might be blamed for what in reality is another adult’s inexcusable actions. And if she does choose to report the rape, she could expect to run the gauntlet of college rape investigation.
First, she would have to recount the worst night of her life to a skeptical set of ears. She would be questioned for her own actions, her own lack of responsibility and her own recreational choices. She will likely be talked out of reporting the rape or made uncertain about her own recollection of the events.
From there, the allegations go into the system, where they may or may not be swept under the rug. School officials that do not want the stigma of rape have not only fudged numbers to keep rape statistics low in the past, but have discouraged victims from coming forward.
Although the system is flawed, the problem doesn’t lie fully at colleges’ feet. And blaming something as murky and undefined as ‘rape culture’ does not help. As a population, we have to live and demonstrate the point that sexual assault, in any of its non consensual forms, is unacceptable.
One problem is that males aren’t involved enough in the conversation. In health class, we talk about rape through the lens of prevention. Girls are advised to watch their drinking and drug use, cautiously watch their surroundings and keep friends nearby for protection. Meanwhile, guys drift off through the lecture. Instead of addressing the primary population of rape perpetrators during this section, we watch corny anti-rape PSAs and demonize drinking.
Like thievery, rape steals something from its victims: a sense of safety in their own skin. But unlike victims of theft, we stigmatize rape and scrutinize its victim’s actions.
Instead, we should be moralizing young men into a culture where non-consensual sex is not OK, where friends don’t let friends pressure girls into sex and where stepping in is the only response to an unwanted advance.