According to a recent study, more women are becoming victims of sexual assault on college campuses, making it an issue that needs to be brought to attention.
About 3 percent of college women experience a completed and, or attempted rape during a college year, according to a study released today.
The study, “The Sexual Victimization of College Women,” was done by the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The report offers a comprehensive look into the prevalence and nature of sexual assault occurring at American Colleges. The federally funded study was conducted by Bonnie S. Fisher, a professor at the University of Cincinnati, Francis T. Cullen and Michael G. Turner.
The data collected within the study showed:
• 1.7 percent of female college students were victims of attempted rape
• 1.7 percent of college women reported being coerced to have sex
• 13 percent of college women have been stalked since the beginning of the school year
According to this study, a vast majority of the incidents occurred after 6 p.m.
In the occurrence of a completed rape:
• 60 percent occurred in the victim’s residence
• 31 percent occurred in other living quarters on campus
• 10 percent occurred at a fraternity
Most off-campus victimization also occurs in residences. Outside of residences, sexual contacts and threatened victimizations also occurred in bars, dance clubs, nightclubs, and work settings.
Based on their findings, it was estimated that the women at a college that has 10,000 female students could experience more than 350 rapes each year. This finding has serious policy implications for college administrators.
Many women do not identify their attacker or characterize their sexual victimization as a crime for many reasons. Such reasons include embarrassment, not clearly understanding the definition of rape, or not wanting to label someone they know who victimized them as a rapist. Some victims blame themselves for the sexual assault.
“Most victims knew the person who sexually victimized them,” say the authors. “For both completed and attempted rapes, about nine in 10 offenders were known to the victim. Most often, a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend, classmate, friend acquaintance, or coworker sexually victimized the women. College professors were not identified as committing any rapes or sexual coercions, but they were cited as the offender in a low percentage of cases involving unwanted sexual contact.”
The results of this study stress the importance of improving education and knowledge about sexual assault.
Due to the light being shed on the issue of sexual assault, people are now becoming aware that colleges are becoming prime areas for criminal activity. According to earlier research, college women are at a greater risk for rape and other types of sexual assault than the general population, and therefore warrant special attention.
The results of the NCWSV study were based on a telephone survey of a randomly selected, national sample of 4,446 women who were attending a 2- or 4-year college or university. Each school had at least 1,000 students.
More Information:
Sexual Assault
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