Date Rape Issue in College Campuses

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Date rape is a threat and continuing problem on college campuses throughout the nation and must be dealt with by the federal government by financing prevention programs and promoting safer campus living.

America is considered a developed and civilized nation which is often quoted to set examples for other nations. The country has seen bursts of economic boom and development as well as the luxury of an educated and literate population. However, when it comes to sex crimes, the country has been depicting increasing rates of incidents all over the nation. The incidents related to sex crimes specially targeted towards college students have been increasing more in proportion than others.

Normally people think of rapists to me masked strangers; however, research has shown that most of the rapes that are committed by some the victim personally or professional knows. This makes the issue much more complex as the victim usually tends to trust the abuser. Date rape is a sex crime that comes under this category and is usually committed while on a formal social outing. The abusers of this crime can be friends of the victim or even their acquaintances and partners.

“Rapes by strangers represent fewer than 25% of all rapes; the remaining 75% occur between acquaintances. Contrary to the rape myth, most rapes occur inside and do not involve the use of weapons.”(Varelas and Foley, 1998)However, due to the complexity of the crime, it is often difficult and confusing to classify the act as date rape. However, if there was no formal consent, then it is considered a felony.

The main reason for the increase in the rates of sex crimes has been due to the increasingly independent and volatile generation that is being raised. Previously as well the new generation was provided with luxuries as well as independence; however sex crime rates were not as staggering as this. The decorum of the society was usually controlled by a federal body of the state, and the laws used to be abided by by all the people residing in the society. However, now it has been seen that rule-breaking and breaking the law has become a method of self-expression. People tend to point fingers at the different races of people in the society; however, the fingers should be really pointed towards the government, which is supposed to reevaluate its security procedures and rules, which allow the multiple sex crime abusers to disregard the law.

Other factors that have been attributed as the cause of the increase in sex crimes against college students pertain to the increasing levels of unemployment, the decreasing rate of education and literacy in the new generation, especially pertaining to college studies. Aside from this, the increasing usage of drugs and the expanding industry of drug smuggling as well as underage drinking have also largely contributed to the increase of such crimes. “The crime of rape can have a devastating effect upon its victims, both physically and psychologically. Social judgments regarding the victims’ level of responsibility for the event can further complicate their emotional recovery. Societal stereotypes have created a double standard, where traditionally, the victim has been blamed for the event. This issue is particularly salient for college-aged men and women. Date rape occurs with startling frequency on college campuses and seems to be perpetuated by rape-tolerant attitudes held by college males. At least 85% of the attempted and successful rapes of college women were committed by non-strangers with only a small minority of 5% of the victims reporting the crime to the police”(Castello et al., 2006)

The victims of sex crimes are often reluctant to go to the police and file a complaint against the perpetrator. The reason for this is mostly the fact that they are confused about their own level of consent. As mentioned earlier that sex crimes of this nature are usually conducted under the influence of drug toxins. In such a state, the victim is almost never sure of his/ her responses, making it a complex issue of whose responsibility it was. Aside from that, the victims are usually embarrassed by the acts as well and unusually try to cover up the issue before it reaches any external parties. In the case of college students, the victims usually hush up the matter due to peer pressure or the social pressures that they are facing.

Most of the victims of date rape are usually college females; however, in recent years, the number of male victims has also been increasing. “Although 14% to 25% of U.S. women are raped at some point in their lives, they report only one-tenth to one-half of those rapes to authorities. The reluctance of victims to report rapes can be attributed to many variables, including the prevalence of rape myths in U.S. society” (Varelas and Foley, 1998).

Usually, after a date rape, the victim also is unable to recognize that he/she has been raped. As a result, it takes the victim some time to confront the matter. This period of time until the victim actually acknowledges their rape is considered the date rape time lag. “In most cases, the emotional tipping point comes about three months after the incident. The layers of denial fall away, and she finally faces the fact that she was raped. She realizes that her rapist has, in fact, destroyed their friendship. She knows there is nothing her former friend can do to make up for the assault.” (‘Date rape Time Lag,’ 2003) this has a major effect on the case against the perpetrator, who can usually find good solid evidence against the victim in this period of time.

Aside from this, the victims, especially if they are female, avoid reporting their case as they6 are frightened of the police themselves and believe that the authorities will not take them in a credible state. As a result, the victims are usually exploited by the system of law and protection itself.

Moreover, the rape myths also have a way of affecting the jurors. In most cases, the jury also believed that the rape crime is actually a matter of sex and not power. “The personal and societal views often include the misconception that rape is a crime of sex rather than one of power. Because of that belief, jurors tend to think that the female victim must have done something to arouse the perpetrator; otherwise, no assault would have occurred.” (Varelas and Foley, 1998) As a result, it is increasingly difficult to prosecute whether the rape actually took place, especially in the case of date rape.

Consequently speaking, it has now become a responsibility of the state and the government to take this issue into their hands. They should be putting stricter and harsher punishments against the perpetrators of the crime. Aside from this, they will also have to change the way rape and sex crime-based cases are handled and prosecuted. The victim also has to be provided more state and legal security. However, in order for all this to work, the state will first have to change people’s opinions about sex crimes. They need to be properly educated, and a long-term program has to be started in which people’s opinion of rape and consent has to be made clear.

Aside from this, the state will also have to finance safer living conditions for the students. The reason for this is that date rape crimes usually take place in social situations, making them highly doubtful and complex. For this, the government will have to give the victim the first right to testimony. Secured and guarded living facilities for the women and patrol guards in remote areas of the campus can be deployed. On the other hand, the governments will also have to take strict measures against the illegal transport and the trafficking of date rape drugs. A drug patrol squad can be deployed, which would be on the lookout for such drugs on campus. The trade of these drugs will have to be closely monitored.

The government will also have to lookout for the usage of drugs and foul play at popular college student handouts and clubs. This will be for the security of the students. Collaboration can be made with the college authorities for official routine searches. A government-funded society can be formed at all the national and state schools and colleges that would support the students in situations concerning sex crimes and date rape issues. The students can also be educated about taking necessary precautions against sex crime offenders. Aside from this, the programs can also be used to inform the students that in case of the occurrence of a sex crime, it is essential to get a rape kit conducted by the hospital. In such a manner, the evidence of the rape can be restored and is will also be available after the expiry of the date-time lag period. The trust of the student can be gained by keeping the matter of date rape confidential, and no date rape evidence should be exposed without the consent of the victim or the survivor.

Moreover, official self-defense training can also be provided as a compulsory basic college course to all students to provide them with some training to combat the perpetrators of sex crimes when need be.

In 2006 a bizarre law was passed in favor of the sex crime victims. This law allowed the females to take their drinks into the restrooms and the washrooms while in a club or a pub. This was a highly unusual step from the government. This was taken in order to decrease the rate of sex crimes and the chances of an offender slipping a date drug into a glass of drink. While this was a highly innovative law, it was kind of impractical as to how many people can take their drinks to the restroom.

The conclusion that can be derived from this discussion is that in order to stop sec crimes like date rapes, the government has to take the matter into their hands and enforce state-funded programs as well as revision of sex crime laws in order to actually convict and prosecute the perpetrator instead of making the issue much worse and complex.

References

(2003), The Date Rape Time Lag. About.com: Abuse/ incest report.

Castello, J., Coomer, C., Stillwell, J., Cate, K., (2006), The Attribution of Responsibility in Acquaintance Rape Involving Ecstasy, North American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 8 Issue 3, pp. 411-419.

McKinnell, J., (2006), In Loo of Coasters, Maclean’s, Vol. 119 Issue 45, p. 20.

Smith, P., White, Jacquelyn W., Holland, L., (2003), A Longitudinal Perspective on Dating Violence Among Adolescent and College-Age Women, American Journal of Public Health, Vol. 93 Issue 7, pp. 1104-1109.

Varelas, N., Foley, L., (1998), Blacks’ and Whites’ Perceptions of Interracial and Intraracial Date Rape, Journal of Social Psychology, Vol. 138 Issue 3, pp. 392-400.

Witmer, D., (2007), Dating Violence, About.com: Parenting of Adolescents. Web.

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Date Rape Issue in College Campuses

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