20 VIEWS
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2015
SEX CRIMES
DATA CONFIRMS WOMEN OBJECTIFIED
BY MEGHAN KLIEWER / el Don
Though many deny the
existence of rape culture,
it persists on college
campuses, that data
and extensive research
back up.
Students should report sexual harassment because it is an offense that needs
to be recognized and addressed.
One in four women at institutions of
higher learning have experienced unwanted sexual contact since enrollment,
a study by the Association of American
Universities shows.
Rape culture is the pervasiveness and
normalization of the oversexualization
of women, sexual assault and violence,
says Dawn Foor, the prevention education and outreach supervisor of Santa
Ana-based Community Service Programs of Orange County.
In rape culture, women are generally
blamed for acting or appearing in ways
that would warrant an aggressive sexual
response, according to the Women’s
Center at Marshall University.
“Society expects and accepts that women will be raped and need to protect
themselves,” Foor said.
Another example of rape culture is the
myth that men cannot be raped because
they should always enjoy or want sex.
Men who are victims of sexual assault
do not often seek help because they do
not know if they are victims, according
to Lance Lockwood, Santa Ana College
professor and Safe Space advisor.
Some people believe that most rape
reports are a result of regret from choices made when intoxicated.
However, only 13 percent of sexual assault or rape victims who were incapacitated by drugs or alcohol reported the
incident, the AAU survey revealed.
Nationwide, three in four people who
had witnessed an intoxicated person in
danger of a potential sexual assault or
rape did not intervene, according to the
AAU survey.
Social responsibility is crucial in pre-
VICTIMS / One in four women at institutions of higher learning have experienced unwanted
sexual contact. / Photo illustration by Emilio Rodriguez / el Don
venting sexual assault, with the study
suggesting most people who recognize a
potential assault are apathetic. Foor and
her team work to promote safe bystander intervention programs, which motivate people to be proactive in preventing
sexual assault.
Only a quarter of victims who experienced forced penetration reported it,
according to the AAU research. Most
victims did not report the assault because they felt ashamed or embarrassed,
blamed themselves, or did not consider
it important enough.
Each student has a different level of
sexual education. Some have received
sufficient information while others have
not, according to Christina Duong, SAC
health educator.
Lack of sexual education may be one
reason students in the study did not
think their sexual assault was serious
enough to report.
In Orange County, Community Service Programs pushed for the new state
law mandating comprehensive sexual
education in schools for grades 7-12.
Assembly Bill No. 329 was signed by
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown Oct. 1 and will
go into effect Jan. 1, 2016.
The law requires schools to educate
students on “sexual harassment, sexual
assault, adolescent relationship
abuse, intimate partner violence,
and sex trafficking.”
From an outside study of 2,500 women
who had been sexually assaulted or
raped by the legal definition, only 14
percent thought their circumstance was
categorized as such, Foor said.
Sexual assault and rape ranges from all
unwanted touching to forceful and violent penetration. Rape also occurs within
intimate partner relationships.
“Our campus psychologists will be able
to help students look for any red flags
for intimate partner violence, including
sexual assault,” Duong said.
Last year, there were only two sexual
assault reports, both under the category
of fondling, and two reports of stalking,
in Rancho Santiago Community College
District, according to the annual safety
report for 2015.
Sexual harassment is included under
stalking in the safety report, said Alistair
Winter, director of safety and security
for the district.
One student at SAC who requested
anonymity said she had experienced
sexual harassment from classmates
several times but did not report any of
the incidents.
Initiatives to address sexual assault
have been instituted and it’s about time.
Under Title V and IX, professors must
act as mandatory reporters of sexual assault to the district. But students decide
whether they want to pursue an investigation or not.
“Hopefully incorporating
more health education
into the seventh to 12th
grade curriculum will
break down any stigma,
and make students comfortable asking questions
about sex,” Duong said.