Sexual Assault Among College Students

According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five female college students will be sexually assaulted and one in 16 men will be assaulted as well. (Victim not pictured, model used for anonymity)

Different resources are available to sexual assault victims that may help them report their assault, but these resources may not be supported by the federal government much longer. Betsy Devos, the new Education Secretary, commented on Title IX (the program put in place to help sexual assault victims on campus) saying that it would be “premature” for her to affirm her commitment to the preservation of this program. DeVos’ family foundation has donated money to FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which is an organization that in 2016 sponsored a lawsuit against the Obama administration to overturn the Title IX guidance. FIRE has historically offered guidance to those accused of sexual assault rather than to the actual victims.

Only 20% of rapes involving female college-aged students are reported. Out of 1000 sexual assaults, on average, 994 perpetrators will walk free. (Victim not pictured, model used for anonymity)

For those victims who do report their assault, there is a deep fear that their college or university will not seek the justice that is needed. The Hunting Ground is a documentary that follows college rape survivors that went through the Title IX process and were ignored by their university. Ivy league institutions and other colleges were more focused on covering up the crimes that occurred on their campuses rather than assisting the victim and punishing the perpetrator. In multiple cases, college athletes were the ones who were accused of the sexual assault, and because sports are responsible for a great amount of financial income to the college, the universities aimed to protect the athletes instead of the victims by violating the Title IX procedures. (Victim not pictured, model used for anonymity)

“For the past four weeks it feels like I’ve been struggling to breathe, to keep my head above the water that continuously rises. It feels like there’s a rock on my chest and there’s nothing I can do to lift it. I despise how he controls my life and my emotions now. Everything I do and every decision I make revolves around him. Like, am I going to see him in the dining hall? Is it safe to study in the library or should I be afraid of another panic attack when I see him there?” A sexual assault survivor speaks out about her daily struggles after being raped by another student. She wishes to remain anonymous. (Victim not pictured, model used for anonymity)

Some of the things that the victim spoke about included the type of questions she was asked not only by the police but also by her college during the Title IX process. “They kept focusing on how much I had to drink or what I was wearing. It’s honestly bullshit. Why couldn’t they focus more on the fact that I said no? Why am I being blamed for something that isn’t my fault? Why are they not more concerned about punishing my rapist?” (Victim not pictured, model used for anonymity)

One quote that stuck with the victim was “He is innocent until proven guilty, but me? I’m a liar until proven honest.”

People constantly question victims, asking them why they didn’t scream or try to get away from their rapist. James W. Hopper, PhD, a psychologist at the Harvard Medical School, explained why victims act the way they do during an assault. “Freezing is a brain-based response to detecting danger, especially during a predator’s attack. Your brain releases stress chemicals into the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that allows us to think rationally.” Victims are blamed for their rape and that needs to change. (Victim not pictured, model used for anonymity)