As a college student you have probably heard the term “sexual assault.” For many incoming freshman, this is a topic that students do not take seriously. However, 1 in 5 college girls will be sexually assaulted during their time at their selected institution of higher learning. College students need to understand what exactly sexual assault is.
“Sexual assault is when someone is either forced, coerced, tricked, manipulated, or bribed into any type of sexual contact. Whether that be physically, verbally, or emotionally,” said Holly Johnson, Lyon County Program Director of New Horizons. “That could be touching over or under clothing, penetration—anal, oral, or vaginal, and/or flashing.”
While the definition appears to be straightforward, many victims do not report the crime. Only 10 to 20 percent of victims actually report being sexually assaulted making it a vastly under reported crime. So why all the hush, hush about a crime?
“About 80 to 90 percent of [sexual assault] victims know the person who committed the assault,” Johnson said. “It could be a friend, boyfriend, acquaintance, family member…they trusted that person and they broke that trust.”
In a campus community, it’s not hard to understand why a victim would choose not to report their offender, especially in today’s society.
“We live in a very judgmental society that is not always on the side of the victim,” Johnson said. “Comments such as ‘why were you there,’ or ‘why were you drinking, why were you wearing that shirt’ are asked to the victim.” Fear of such backlash against them causes keeps victims from reporting their perpetrator.
College students have a voice, and can choose to speak up. Communication is one of the best ways to prevent future assaults.
“The question that needs to be asked is, ‘why did the perpetrator think it was ok to do that?’,” Johnson said. “If more people put pressure on the people committing the acts, then maybe our thinking will change and more people will be likely to speak up and report.”
If you have been victim of sexual assault, please speak up. New Horizons helps victims of different types of crimes—sexual assault included. Bailey Dagan is the SMSU Program Director at New Horizons. Their services are free and confidential. New Horizons on campus office is located at SS227.
