One in four.
Every two minutes, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted. On a college campus, one in four women have survived rape or faced attempted rape; however, less than 20 percent of sexual assaults are reported.
Numbers reveal facts, but when the numbers aren’t representative of incidents, it is important remember that crime is more than numbers. Sexual assault is the most underreported crime, according to Director of Public Safety Todd Pelazza.
Why would a victim of such a horrible crime not want to report it?
When victims discuss the incident, whether to a police officer or counselor, they often feel as though they are reliving it. This can interfere with the healing process. Worse, victims can have misconceptions of blame, and they are afraid that they somehow caused the attacker to target them.
Because of a campus culture of casual hookups and binge drinking, students assume that sexual assault is not a crime and should not be reported. But, reporting these crimes can stop the perpetrator from acting again, and there are many people working to end the violence.
Influence of Campus Culture
It’s 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, and somehow, you are managing to get yourself up the long flight of stairs to Barone cafeteria. As you shuffle in and look around, you are not surprised to see disheveled hair, heads resting on tables, people chugging water and even that occasional student still wearing last night’s attire…maybe with a sweatshirt over it. Walking past booths and tables, you hear, “He was so hot…so I hooked up with him,” and “I got really drunk and went to his room and I don’t really know what happened.”
These casual conversations make crimes like assault seem common and insignificant.
Pelazza explained, “One common denominator that we find on college campuses, 98 percent of the time, is alcohol is involved and it’s an acquaintance situation. Very rarely do you have a stranger-type sexual assault that you hear so much about.”
Junior Astrid Quinones, director of Take Back the Night 2012, explained that survivors submit their stories to her to be read during the vigil, and they are usually acquaintance situations or a result of too much alcohol. She said, “Just because there isn’t always a face to the number of one out of four victims, the victim knows the face of those who hurt them.”
The Jeanne Clery Crime report, mandated by the federal government and based on the calendar year, shows that Fairfield University does not match the one in four statistic. The reason?
“They’re dating situations, they’re hookup situations. There’s alcohol involved,” reiterated Pelazza.
If students read the Clery report and discover that there weren’t any assaults in 2011, they may think, “We’re safe. It’s not affecting us here.”
But they can’t be too sure.
Sexual assault happens everywhere.
Combating Sexual Assault
Every number comes with a story.
“The violence never stops and there are those who continue to struggle for the rest of their lives because of that one incident. They need a voice,” said Quinones. Every time an assault is reported, Department of Public Safety is required to release a description of the assault and the attacker.
These reports can prevent a future assault and help solve the one reported.
“Evidence is there forever,” explained Pelazza. Victims can go to the hospital after a report is made to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases and to collect DNA evidence, which is critical in putting the assaulter behind bars.
Ending the violence is not limited to those who have experienced it. “You don’t necessarily have to be a statistic to change the statistics,” stated Quinones. By offering support and being aware of triggers for victims, students can combat sexual assault.
Campus Initiatives
Fairfield University provides many resources to help victims and inform students. Whether you attend a self-defense class, participate in the Jane Doe No More organization or inform a CSA (Campus Security Authority) about an incident that occurred, you can help combat sexual assault.
“This is such an important topic that is not the responsibility of just one department on campus,” explained Pelazza. “It has to be a campus-wide initiative. It’s very difficult for one entity alone.”
Crime is more than a number on the Clery report. Sexual assault is more than the “one in four” statistic. Each number represents a person with a tragic experience that needs to be recognized. Quinones explained, “I wish we didn’t have to tell stories in order to understand that it’s wrong and should be prevented. But we are emotional human beings that connect when we hear someone break down.”
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