Sexual Assault and Acquaintance Rape: Unfortunately it Happens on College Campuses

Understanding the Issue

We hope that you will never have to deal with this issue if you are a parent. Unfortunately, the issues that are a problem in society are typically issues on a college campus, and students are at risk and at points become victims of stranger and acquaintance rape.

Sexual violence is any unwanted sexual contact, and it can be from a stranger or someone that the victim knows. The majority of rapes happen between individuals who know each other, be it a friend, classmate, co-worker, date, neighbor or relative. Force can be actual physical aggression, threats of force, emotional coercion or psychological blackmailing.

The first two weeks of the academic year is a time when individuals are at high risk for becoming a victim of sexual violence. In many cases, a lack of clear communication or a lack of understanding as to the differences in gender communication can lead to sexual assault, and this is more likely to happen in dating or romantic situations.

Facts and Figures

The majority of all rapes of women are known as acquaintance rapes, in which the victim knows her attacker. Offenders known to the victim perpetrate approximately three-quarters of all lone-offender sexual violence against women. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)

Women who are most often raped are between 16 and 24 years of age (Koss). Since this is the period when young women begin to date, they are particularly vulnerable to being a victim of date rape. The peak rate of victimization occurs in the 16 - 19 year old age group with the next highest rate of victimization occurring between 20 and 24 years of age.

Eight in ten college rapes involved someone the attacker knew, more than half involved a date. Eighty-six percent of these rapes occurred in off-campus housing or in a car, prior to the rape 42 % had been virgins. (Rape on Campus: Facts and Measures)

According to FBI statistics, only 1 to 2 % of reported assaults are suspected to be false, which is approximately the same rate for false reports for other crimes.

Sexual violence remains the most dramatically underreported crime, with an estimated two-thirds of attacks unreported. (American Medical Association, 1996)

Reactions you might expect if your student is a victim of Sexual Assault

Fear and Anxiety. Individuals who are victims of sexual assault will probably experience a heightened sense of fear and anxiety. This may happen when they remember their assault, or it may be triggered spontaneously.

Re-experiencing the Trauma. Individuals who have been assaulted often re-experience the event, sometimes through flashbacks or nightmares.

Increased Arousal. Victims may feel jumpy, jittery, shaky, easily startled, and have trouble concentrating and sleeping. Continuous arousal can lead to impatience and irritability, especially if the victim is not getting enough sleep.

Avoidance. Individuals who have experienced sexual assault may avoid situations that remind them of the assault.

Anger. Victims may feel angry, not only with the assailant, but also with others.

Feelings of Guilt and Shame. Many rape victims blame themselves for the things that they did or did not do during the assault. Victims sometimes experience feelings of blame from others about their assault.

Depression. Depression is a common reaction to a sexual assault. Rape victims may feel down, sad, hopeless and full of despair. They may cry more often, and lose interest in people and activities that they used to enjoy. They may also feel that their lives are not worth living.

Self Image. Rape victims tend to view themselves and the world more negatively than prior to the assault. They also may experience difficulties trusting others, and difficulties with being intimate with others. Their relationships with other may become tense.

Ways to help if your student is a victim of sexual assault

• Encourage your child to report the crime, and to obtain medical attention. On many college campuses, victims can report rape and keep their identity concealed as a "Jane Doe", which gets the crime on record with appropriate authorities, and gives the victim time to decide how they want to handle the sexual assault. Proper medical attention is a must, so if you are the one that your child calls if they have been a victim of sexual, make sure they receive proper medical attention immediately.
  
  
• Understand that you may not be the first person that your child calls. Your child will be experiencing a wide range of emotions. It is sometimes easier to share bad news with someone that you know verses someone that you really love and respect. If your child does not talk to you first, don't get upset if you find out after the fact. University officials will most likely encourage your child to call you and explain what has happened, but it is the call of the student. University officials work to respect the privacy rights of students, so they will probably not call you without your student's permission.
  
  
• Understand that part of the healing process is your child feeling empowered to make his or her own choices about how the sexual assault should be handled. As a parent you will experience strong emotions if you child is a victim of sexual assault. These emotions and feelings will probably lead to some pretty strong opinions about how the assault should be handled. Although you may have a strong opinion as to what you'd like to see happen to the assailant, you need to put those opinions aside and let you student decide what to do. This is part of the healing process that your child must go through. Try to focus in on supporting your child, and not making decisions for them.
  
  
• Don't be judgmental. Women do not provoke rape because of how they dress, talk or behave. Rapists look for victims who are accessible and vulnerable.
  
  
• Do not place blame on the victim. Rape is not the victim's fault. Regardless of the circumstances prior to the rape, rape victims do not ask to be sexually assaulted. Reassure your child that the sexual assault was not their fault.
  
  
• Give comfort. Your child will need a great deal of nurturing and support.
  
  
• Don't minimize the trauma of being raped by someone you know. Individuals who are victims of acquaintance rape deal with extensive emotional issues, which are in many ways similar to the issues that manifest after a stranger rape. Additionally, victims of acquaintance rape also suffer and must work through the issues of being victimized by someone that they trusted and knew.
  
  
• Encourage your student to seek out appropriate support through a hotline. Counseling center, or rape crisis center. Individuals trained in sexual assault issues can best help and support the sexual assault victim. Most universities have staff in Counseling Centers to help students deal with the issues that arise as a result of a sexual assault.
  
  
• Support for you and your child at the University. If your child is a victim of sexual assault, you may need to seek out support and assistance through the college Dean of Students Office, who should be able to assist you with support services for your child, information on the campus disciplinary system, help in dealing with academic problems that could manifest for your child, and a wide variety of other issues.

NOTE: The information presented in this article has been provided by the Sexual Assault, Counseling and Education (SACE) program at the Tuttleman Counseling Services at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA.