"The Hunting Ground" is a documentary on the sexual assaults and rapes that occur on college campuses. This isn't just a documentary about the countless rapes that go unreported, but about the rapes that occur and the perpetrators have been protected.
To put in prospective of the epidemic; for every two robberies that happen one sexual assault occurs on a college campus (RAIIN). It was said in the documentary, it's not the people that you don't know that you have to look out for, it's the people you do know.
I'm not writing this to scare any college students out there, I'm writing because of the pure rage that insinuated in me as I kept watching this. It made me so heated inside about the action that the school took against these allegation. In every single press conference you will always hear the words, "We take cases like these very seriously." But do they?
Here are some statistics from the documentary comparing the number of sexual assaults reported compared to expulsions or suspensions:
Darthmouth College (2002 - 2013): 155 sexual assaults reported, 3 expulsions
Stanford University (1996 - 2013): 259 sexual assaults reported, 1 expulsion
University of North Carolina (2001 - 2013): 136 sexual assaults reported, 0 expulsions
The one statistic that made the most irritated, and it should make you too, was at the University of Virginia (1998 - 2013) 205 sexual assaults were reported, 0 expulsions were given, but 183 students were expelled for cheating and other honor board violations
What kind of culture do we live in if we let this happen to the men and women on our college campuses. The deans say they are taking these cases very seriously, but the statistics show otherwise.
You might be sitting there questioning, what can I do now that I have read this? No worries, I have looked a couple things up for you because I was wondering the same exact thing.
First, know your rights as a student and make sure you understand Title IX. Next, take to social media and voice your opinion! Another thing is to join a national foundation like "It's On Us" and "Take Back the Night." My last option for you is to talk about it on your campuses with professors and some deans. I know I did and it gave me the idea to start to do research on sexual assaults and rapes on college campuses.
If you do need to report a sexual assault please use these resources:
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) at 800.656.HOPE or if you are more comfortable talking to a counselor online, they also run an online hotline.
Go to a hospital and have a rape kit done. They do advice you to not shower, brush your teeth or go to the bathroom before the exam.
Report the crime to your campus police or local police station.
Other resources to talk are listed here:
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Trevor Project (LGBTQ Suicide Hotline): 1-866-488-7383
