The Association of American Universities just released the results of a survey regarding sexual assault on college campuses and they're pretty disheartening, to say the least. Not only did 23 percent of female college students say they experienced some sort of unwanted sexual contact (with 11 percent saying that contact included oral sex or penetration), but only five to 28 percent of those women reported the assault, depending on the severity of it. As a college student, these statistics are scary. And, unfortunately, it isn't just a problem within college campuses: It is a problem within society.
According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), every 107 seconds, another American is sexually assaulted. And the way we choose to handle it simply isn't effective. It isn't enough to wait until children turn into teenagers before teaching them to respect one another. Little girls should not be dismissed when they complain about little boys pulling their pigtails or pushing them down into the dirt. The phrases "boys will be boys" and "be a man" have both been toxic to generations of youth. Not only are both gender's feelings being disregarded, but they are being conditioned to believe that they shouldn't speak up to defend themselves. If we teach children that not respecting the words of their peers is okay, or that they shouldn't speak up when they feel wronged, that is behavior that will follow them into adulthood. Young women should not be afraid to walk alone at night, or worry about what they choose to wear out for fear of what lurks in the dark. And men should not be afraid to say no, despite the expectations set for their gender.
It's great that college students are educated on how to best protect themselves against sexual assault and rape, but it would be even better if we stopped the problem at the perpetrator instead of the victim. If no, could actually mean no, when the problem is still easy to correct in childhood, instead of when students find themselves with a shot of vodka pressed into their hand, judgment becoming harder and harder to hold on to.
I think the increased amount of effort universities are putting into rape prevention is amazing, but we still have so far to go. Victim shaming is still all too prevalent, and the desensitization students are beginning to have toward rape and sexual assault purely because it's so common, is startling. I'm tired of hearing stories about how grateful my friends are that they got home safe, and about how the party hosts were kind enough not to put drugs in the punch. I don't want to sit silently in an apartment, desperately trying to comfort a friend as she tries to grasp the severity of what happened to her. These statistics can be the start of a hugely important conversation, and hopefully spur action on the part of students on college campuses, teachers at elementary schools and anyone else who can help raise the bar in America and stop sexual assault before it starts.
