Perpetuating the problem

One in four college women report being assaulted during their years as an undergraduate. The overwhelming majority of perpetrators are no stranger to their victims. They are friends, mentors, even boyfriends. One in every 12 college age men has committed acts of a sexual assault, although many are not even aware that their actions constitute rape.

Statistically, many of us have friends who have been sexually defiled, whether they’ve spoken out about it or not. At our institution there were 30 reported sexual offense cases between 2010 and 2012—with 11 in 2012 alone. And these numbers appear to be escalating. While increased prevention efforts are likely leading to a higher percentage of reported cases, the trend is nevertheless extremely disturbing.

Both student and faculty-led campus programs have been efficient in getting the word out about sexual assault. From the Breaking Out campaign to Prevent Act Challenge Teach (PACT) training, we have been steady in our actions to raise awareness, creating an environment where individuals feel free to speak out about their circumstances. But despite our efforts, the numbers suggest that little has changed. So it’s time to ask—what’s not working? Are we just preaching to the choir?

If you were a sex offender, whether you consider yourself to be one or not, would you go to a week of awareness about campus rape? Probably not.

The only exposure many potential perpetrators get to issues of sexual violence are the smaller instances, the everyday occurrences that become so ingrained in our culture that we hardly notice them. Every day, there are infinite small, seemingly inconsequential ways in which we incentivize and reward aggression, particularly in men. We “rape” a test. We say that to be strong is to grow a pair.

So even amongst endless panels and trainings and confessionals, sexual violence is rooted in a much deeper culture.

Changing a culture is enormously difficult. Yet sexual assault cannot be stopped if we continue to regard it as an impersonal issue. We fail to realize that if it can happen to our classmate, it can happen to our best friend and it can happen to us. We are all responsible for preventing sexual violence on our campus, and it starts with noticing the small ways in which we all—men and women—perpetuate the problem in our daily lives.

Sexual assault has attracted media attention recently in their launch of the Obama administration’s “It’s On Us” campaign and the United Nation’s “HeForShe” campaign. Both of these initiatives identify our need to take ownership over sexual assault in order to evoke change. Of particular note, they stress the importance of men speaking up about the issue as. Men have often been left out these preventative conversations. But their importance is undeniable—it is impossible for women to confront an issue that is to some extent beyond them.