For as long as there have been men and women in this world, there have been sexual assaults on those women by men. I am not sure if there is a renewed interest in this topic or not but it is getting a lot of publicity.
Today we are going to take a look at campus sexual assaults and review some of the problems that cause them. But first we recommend that you explore our article entitled Is There A Solution For Campus Sexual Assaults?
The answer to that question is not really. Why do we say that? Because in all the years that we have been monitoring and writing about this topic the statistics haven’t changed despite all the good intentions of many people-people who, we might add, are in a position to make changes including the White House.
Facts on Campus Sexual Assaults
- A lot of naysayers dispute the statistics about the number of women assaulted on campuses. Study after study has consistently shown that at least 20% of women on a college campus will be assaulted in their time at the institution.
- Most of the assailants are known to the victim. How? More than likely they are classmates or live in the same dorm. Talk about fear and intimidation! Can you imagine being sexually assaulted by someone you see practically every day?
- A goodly portion of these victims are high on drugs or drunk from alcohol making them easy prey for predators.
- Young female college freshmen are particularly susceptible in the “red zone”-the name given to the first several months of the school year where young women are trying to fit into a new environment where there are no parental restraints. They are “sitting ducks” to more experienced predatory upperclassmen.
- Most campus sexual assaults are never reported. It has been estimated that as many as 90% are not reported. Why? There are several complicated reasons, among them is the history of inaction by the institution. There is also the intimidation factor of snitching on a classmate. Victims are often discouraged from speaking up in reporting their assaults. Friends of the victim often help stop the reporting.
In this opinion piece in U.S. News & World Report by Valerie Jarrett, who works at the White House, she offers up four questions parents should ask regarding sexual assaults when choosing a college.
“First, families can ask if a school has a Title IX coordinator and if he or she is easily accessible to students.
Second, families can learn about the procedures a school has in place for reporting sexual assault, and how it handles sexual assault cases.
Third, although it is critical to have strong procedures in place to respond to sexual violence, it is equally important that schools work to prevent assaults from happening in the first place.
Lastly, a big part of eliminating sexual assault on campus is making sure students have support systems and know how to find them.”
We mean no disrespect to Ms. Jarrett, but to me this seems like theoretical gobbledygook. What about having a heart to heart talk with your daughter before she goes off to school explaining the reality of sexual assaults in a freewheeling environment where drugs and alcohol are abundant and young men are high on testosterone? What about telling your young daughter that she should carry a pepper spray or some other nonlethal self-defense weapon to protect yourself if she is assaulted? Huh? What about those questions?
This story discusses a new report by the American Association of Universities and makes the claim that one in four or 25% of women have been sexually assaulted and that many University officials are “surprised” by this. Surprised? Where have they been?
I quote a sentence in this piece: “The federal government is investigating more than 100 colleges on sexual assault, recognizing that sexual violence threatens students’ access to education. Many colleges are beginning to take that threat seriously.” WHAT? They are?
And finally, this article from a newspaper in Canton, Ohio where the same study of 150,000 students by the Association of American Universities (AAU) is quoted claiming that 25% of all college age women are victims of campus sexual assaults. This article claims that only between 5% and 28% of the incidents were reported to authorities. The story goes on to say that this has been a problem for years, but that officials no longer turn a blind eye to this behavior. No kidding!
Women everywhere should be carrying a nonlethal self-defense product pepper spray-especially young women who are going to college where the threat of sexual assault is greater than the average.
We have close to 200 pepper sprays to choose from with 105 of them being the keychain variety with prices starting as low as $4.95.
We encourage our readers to chime in with their thoughts on this hot topic. We know you must have an opinion, everyone else does!