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Politics and Activism

When Home Becomes A Hunting Ground

A review of "The Hunting Ground" and a plea for justice.

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When Home Becomes A Hunting Ground
FemaleFirst.Co.Uk

After an absolutely exhausting week, I wanted nothing more than to sit down with my family and watch some good ole Netflix. Recently, they have updated their viewing choices and, in fact, included the documentary "The Hunting Ground." I had heard so much about it, how incredible and sad it was, how everyone needed to watch it. So, with my mother and sister, I clicked play, and into reality we fell.

The documentary opens up with memories that were all too real for me. As a freshman, I remember getting my acceptance letter, the screaming of excitement and the hope of the new life I would be living. I remember walking onto my campus for the first time, getting chills, never being more excited about who I could become. These scenes that seemed to have come from my very own mind are shown in the documentary, and immediately my heart strings were plucked. My heart ached for these moments of joy, because I knew soon they would be replaced with ones of darkness and pain.

Very soon, the viewer is introduced to Andrea Pino and Annie Clark, two survivors who are the front women in this crusade to fight the Invisible War. Only moments after meeting them you find out that they were assaulted within the first month of being on campus. Just let that settle in. All of the excitement, happiness and joy that should come with college was taken, just like that. Both describe feelings of shame and how they hid it and honestly did not face what had happened for a very long time.

As you continue to watch, you find your eyes get misty as you meet girl after girl, boy after boy, who were assaulted on their campuses.. and saw their universities do nothing about it. One victim, Kamilah Willingham, quoted the Dean of Students at Harvard saying, "We just want to make sure, above all else, that you don't talk to anyone about this." This same victim took her assailant to court and thankfully had him expelled. However, without Willingham's knowledge or consent, this same assailant was allowed to return to campus the following semester.

The ratio of expulsions due to sexual assault on campus versus academic fraud are absolutely jarring and sickening. The film goes through the statistics of sexual assault reports on campus ranging from the years 1996-2013 and how several of them, shockingly enough when the numbers were at their highest, were met with 0-5 expulsions at most. For example, between the years of 1998-2013, the University of Virginia had 205 sexual assault reports filed, and you know how many were expelled? Zero. However, between those same year there were over 183 academic expulsions for cheating and other honor board violation. This should make you sick. The simple fact that something as destructive and violating as assault is swept so under the rug in colleges today.

Some say the reason colleges don't look into assault cases is that they are worried about false reports. False reports on sexual assault have the same frequency of false reports in any other type of crime. David Lisak, a clinical psychologist, claims that the best research in the world surrounding false reports on sexual assault will say the numbers are usually between 2-8 percent, meaning that around 90-98 percent are true. So, why wouldn't they do something about this?

Most believe it's because they are protecting their name. A former Dean of Students claims her university instilled in their administration to protect the college above all else, not the student. Because it only takes one student, one group to drag the name of a college through the mud and be labelled a "rape college."

Another important topic surrounding rape culture is the idea of victim blaming. Several victims state that when reporting these assaults they are asked, "What were you wearing," "How much had you had to drink," and "Are you sure you didn't lead them on with the friendship you two had?" Victim blaming is seen so much in rape culture that people don't even realize they are perpetuating it when they ask these questions. Victim blaming is a topic that needs to be handled first and foremost in this fight, because if we are against each other, if we attempt to qualify the rape, we are helping the rapist, not the victim.

The more you watch, the more you are sickened and hurting for those involved. You wish you could stand with them, hug them and let them know you are there for them. I think one of the most powerful moments in the documentary is the song Lady Gaga wrote called "Til It Happens to You." I've included her Oscar performance in which she stands with survivors, protesting, and being strong for every one out there who has experienced this injustice.

My point is that this documentary is serious and this documentary is important. If you watch it for even a few minutes, you are filled with so much emotion. We should take hold of this emotion and allow it to fuel our fire. Regardless if it has happened to us, we, as a nation, as students and parents, should stand up against rape culture. We should stand for one another, and stand for those who can't stand for themselves. Rape and assault on college campuses is very real and it's time we faced this monster head on.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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