Sexual Victimization of Women Grows Across College Campuses

By Alex Ruano

Incidents of sexual victimization are becoming a cause for concern for college campuses and college women; a study shows some startling statistics.

Three percent of college women experience rape during a college year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics in a study released today.

The report, “The Sexual Victimization of College Women”, offers a comprehensive look into the prevalence and nature of sexual assault occurring at American Colleges.

The report was released by U.S. Department of Justice’s National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice.

The report was conducted by Bonnie S. Fisher, a professor at the University of Cincinnati,

Francis T. Cullen and Michael G. Turner.

The study includes the following statistics:

· About 1.7 percent of college women were victims of attempted rape.

· About 1.7 percent of women reported being coerced to have sex.

· About 13 percent of college women have been stalked since the beginning of the school year.

· Nearly 60 percent of completed rapes occurred at the victim’s residence.

· Approximately 31 percent occurred in a living quarters on campus.

· Approximately 10 percent occurred at a fraternity.

· Incidents of threatened victimization and sexual contacts occurred in bars, dance clubs,

nightclubs, and work settings.

“Most victims knew the person who sexually victimized them,” said the authors. Offenders were identified as boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, classmates, friends, or coworkers. About nine in 10 offenders were known to the victim.

College professors were not identified as having committed rapes or coercions but were however, cited as an offender in a low number of cases.

Fisher and her colleagues also found that many women do not characterize their victimization as a crime for a number of reasons.

Reasons Women May Not Report a Rape

· Embarrassment.

· Not understanding the legal definition of rape.

· Not wanting to accuse someone they know of being a rapist

· They blame themselves for the sexual assault.

Who was surveyed?

· NCWSV study results are based on a telephone survey 4466 women attending 2- or 4-

year colleges on average.

· For every 1,000 women attending college, there are 35 incidents of rape in any given

academic year; at an institution of 10,000 students, this number would jump to 350 students.

· The sample was limited to colleges with at least 1,000 students.

Attention to the victimization of college women has prompted a fear that college
campuses may be becoming a hot spot for criminal activity.

These statistics, when projected over several million of the Nation’s student female population, suggest the rape victimization is a potential problem of large proportion and of public policy interest.

For additional information:

Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network

National Criminal Justice Reference Service

Sourcebook of Criminal Justice Statistics