Persuasive Essay On Rape In College

Words: 1556
Pages: 7

One in five women will be raped sometime in her lifetime. The chances of being sexually assaulted are three times higher for women in college, from ages 18 to 24. Only 20 percent of those assaults go reported, while the remaining 80 percent are left untouched. The issue of sexual assault contains many components including the actions and reactions of society (RAINN). Society’s attitude towards sexual assault affecting its lack of seriousness or normalization, commonly referred to as rape culture, has an unwanted influence on majority of assault cases. College is meant to be a safe environment where people learn and thrive not only educationally but also socially; yet with the large number of assaults, that seems entirely unlikely. To help …show more content…
All universities place some type of procedure in an effort to lower the rates of assault and actions following the reported assault. For example, in a study in one Ohio college, they explicitly state their descriptions of what assault is defined as in their college handbook and have security all around campus. However, even through this, the established procedures are utterly deficient for the protection of their students. Furthermore, only one percent of colleges in Ohio allow for anonymous reportings of assault and only 31 percent had a confidential reporting option, which seems entirely oblivious (Krivoshey). Considering that college is known for being a social hub and parties are wildly common, it would be entirely beneficial for administration to add anonymity for victims. Fear of being scrutinized or shamed by administration or the victim’s peers due to certain circumstances leading up to the assault, such as underage drinking, could be one of several underlying reasons for unreported assaults on college campuses. Universities should proactively accept the responsibility to ensure students are in a safe, violence-free zone where no one should be scared to report their assault to avoid facing any repercussions from administration or society