Sexual assault is a violent crime that affects many lives every single year. Specifically, sexual assault claims a victim every two minutes in the United States. Even though this is such a wide-spread problem in our country, there is still confusion about what exactly constitutes sexual
assault. On the Frostburg State University campus, the BURG Peer Education
Network is one of the most involved groups with this issue and they provide
this definition: Sexual assault includes various forms of unwanted touching or
penetration without consent, such as sexual battery (unwanted touching of a
private area for the purpose of sexual arousal), forced oral-genital contact,
rape by a foreign object (this can include a finger), forced vaginal
intercourse, or forced anal intercourse. These forms of sexual assault can be
accomplished by fear, threats of harm, and/or actual physical force. Just
because someone is already an intimate partner or an acquaintance, this does
not make them exempt from this standard. A person has the right to withhold their
consent even if it is involving a person with which they have engaged in past
sexual relations. In fact, approximately two-thirds of rapes are committed by
someone known to the victim, 38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance of the
victim, and 28% of rapists were intimate with the victim.
So how does the issue of sexual assault specifically pertain to college students?
Unfortunately, 1 in 5 women who attend college will be the victim of a rape or
an attempted rape by the time she graduates. Also, 80% of sexual assault
victims are under the age of thirty and ages 12 to 34 are at the highest risk.
These alarming statistics include the most common ages of college students. The
common problem of drug and alcohol use on college campuses also ties in with
the matter of sexual assault. In fact, it has been found that in 1 in 3 sexual
assaults, the perpetrator was intoxicated (30% with alcohol and 4% with drugs).
Now you may be wondering, how does sexual assault affect Frostburg State
University students? Last year, 2010, there were a total of five sexual
assaults reported to either FSU Campus Police or Frostburg City Police. Also
this year, 2011, five sexual assaults have occurred thus far. These numbers
only include FSU students. The FSU Campus Police Department reported that all
of the victims in these cases were female. Even though this may seem like a
relatively low, yet still tragic number, we must consider the rate of reporting
these instances. It is found that 60% of sexual assaults are never reported to
the police. If FSU is true to these statistics, that means that we have a
potential of 12 total sexual assaults.
Obviously something needs to be done about the problem of sexual assault. Currently,Frostburg State University has established a multi-faceted program across
several organizations in order to deal with the issue of sexual assault. Many
campus groups participate in something known as The Red Zone Campaign. This movement
focuses on the period of time starting at the beginning of the fall semester
and ending after Thanksgiving break when students, especially freshman females,
are at the highest risk for sexual assault. This campaign includes activities
such as a sexual assault forum, performance of The Vagina Monologues,
informational tables, self-defense classes, and much more. The Frostburg State
University campus also works closely the Allegany County health system, which
has established a safe environment for victims of sexual assault at the
hospital. Although I was unable to arrange an interview with her, Deb Wolford
has a lot of insight to provide on this subject. She is what is known as a “safe
nurse” at the hospital. Through past conversations with Deb, she has informed
me of the many services that they provide. The hospital and its safe nurses
provide health services to sexual assault victims through a non-threatening
environment. Their Jane Doe processing allows a rape kit to be collected and
held for evidence in an anonymous way if the victim should ever decide (within
what I believe is a six month period) to file charges against his or her
assailant. This service takes some of the stress off of a traumatized victim
and allows time to make a solid decision. Control is crucial when helping a
victim of sexual assault and control must be emphasized when dealing with
sexual assault prevention.
If you would like to learn more about sexual assault or The Red Zone Campaign,
please visit the websites listed below!
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (the source of my statistics): http://www.rainn.org
assault. On the Frostburg State University campus, the BURG Peer Education
Network is one of the most involved groups with this issue and they provide
this definition: Sexual assault includes various forms of unwanted touching or
penetration without consent, such as sexual battery (unwanted touching of a
private area for the purpose of sexual arousal), forced oral-genital contact,
rape by a foreign object (this can include a finger), forced vaginal
intercourse, or forced anal intercourse. These forms of sexual assault can be
accomplished by fear, threats of harm, and/or actual physical force. Just
because someone is already an intimate partner or an acquaintance, this does
not make them exempt from this standard. A person has the right to withhold their
consent even if it is involving a person with which they have engaged in past
sexual relations. In fact, approximately two-thirds of rapes are committed by
someone known to the victim, 38% of rapists are a friend or acquaintance of the
victim, and 28% of rapists were intimate with the victim.
So how does the issue of sexual assault specifically pertain to college students?
Unfortunately, 1 in 5 women who attend college will be the victim of a rape or
an attempted rape by the time she graduates. Also, 80% of sexual assault
victims are under the age of thirty and ages 12 to 34 are at the highest risk.
These alarming statistics include the most common ages of college students. The
common problem of drug and alcohol use on college campuses also ties in with
the matter of sexual assault. In fact, it has been found that in 1 in 3 sexual
assaults, the perpetrator was intoxicated (30% with alcohol and 4% with drugs).
Now you may be wondering, how does sexual assault affect Frostburg State
University students? Last year, 2010, there were a total of five sexual
assaults reported to either FSU Campus Police or Frostburg City Police. Also
this year, 2011, five sexual assaults have occurred thus far. These numbers
only include FSU students. The FSU Campus Police Department reported that all
of the victims in these cases were female. Even though this may seem like a
relatively low, yet still tragic number, we must consider the rate of reporting
these instances. It is found that 60% of sexual assaults are never reported to
the police. If FSU is true to these statistics, that means that we have a
potential of 12 total sexual assaults.
Obviously something needs to be done about the problem of sexual assault. Currently,Frostburg State University has established a multi-faceted program across
several organizations in order to deal with the issue of sexual assault. Many
campus groups participate in something known as The Red Zone Campaign. This movement
focuses on the period of time starting at the beginning of the fall semester
and ending after Thanksgiving break when students, especially freshman females,
are at the highest risk for sexual assault. This campaign includes activities
such as a sexual assault forum, performance of The Vagina Monologues,
informational tables, self-defense classes, and much more. The Frostburg State
University campus also works closely the Allegany County health system, which
has established a safe environment for victims of sexual assault at the
hospital. Although I was unable to arrange an interview with her, Deb Wolford
has a lot of insight to provide on this subject. She is what is known as a “safe
nurse” at the hospital. Through past conversations with Deb, she has informed
me of the many services that they provide. The hospital and its safe nurses
provide health services to sexual assault victims through a non-threatening
environment. Their Jane Doe processing allows a rape kit to be collected and
held for evidence in an anonymous way if the victim should ever decide (within
what I believe is a six month period) to file charges against his or her
assailant. This service takes some of the stress off of a traumatized victim
and allows time to make a solid decision. Control is crucial when helping a
victim of sexual assault and control must be emphasized when dealing with
sexual assault prevention.
If you would like to learn more about sexual assault or The Red Zone Campaign,
please visit the websites listed below!
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (the source of my statistics): http://www.rainn.org
Sexual Assault on Campus: www.publicintegrity.org
The Red Zone Campaign: www.burgpeereducationnetwork.com
The Red Zone Campaign: www.burgpeereducationnetwork.com
Katie, are those FSU-specific numbers available online, so that you can link to them?
ReplyDeleteAlso, "within what I believe is a six month period" would be a lot more trustworthy if it were checked out and stated definitively, with attribution.