Rape and other forms of sexual victimization has become an increasing problem for college women all across America.
About 3 percent of college women experience a completed and/or attempted rape during a college year, according to a report released today by the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice.
The report, titled “The Sexual Victimization of College Women,” was completed by Bonnie S. Fisher, a professor at the University of Cincinnati.
The statistics
The study demonstrates the following statistics:
· About 1.7 percent of female college students were victims of attempted rape
· About 13 percent of college women have been stalked since the beginning of the school year
· Nearly 60 percent of completed rapes occurred in the victim’s residence
· About 10 percent of completed rapes occurred at a fraternity
· Nearly 9 out of 10 of the offenders were known to the victim
· About 350 rapes occur during an academic year at an university of 10,000 students
Where do rapes take place and by whom?
The majority of rapes took place after 6 p.m. in some sort of living quarter. A large amount of threatened victimizations however, took place in bars or dance clubs.
The majority of offenders were also known to the victim. “Most often, a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, classmate, friend acquaintance, or coworker sexually victimized the women,” says Fisher.
Reporting sexual victimization
Fisher also found that many do not report the sexual victimizations as crimes. Often embarrassment, not understanding the legal definition of rape, and not wanting to label someone they know as a rapist, all contribute to this silence when it comes to sexual assault crimes.
Staying safe on campus
Research also shows that college campuses have become very popular spots for criminal activity. Women in college are at a much greater risk for rape and other forms of sexual assault than women in the general population. College women need attention from organizations that improve knowledge about sexual assault.
Who took part in this survey?
This survey was conducted by telephone based on a randomly selected, national sample of 4,446 women who are attending a 2- or 4- year college. The sample was limited to schools with at least 1,000 students.
For more information visit:
No comments:
Post a Comment