Sexual Harassment on College Campuses

Sexual Assault on college campuses

Sexual assault is one of the most unreported crimes out there, especially on college campuses. There are many reasons as to why people do not report these crimes, but some are more common than others. According to the article, one third of colleges require victims to participate in adjudication. Having to participate in this might be a big reason as to why many victims do not report their sexual assault. Having to participate in adjudication means the victim must prove that they were actually sexually assaulted. Proving that someone has been sexually assaulted is very difficult and some victims might fear that they are not going to be able to prove it. Also if someone is sexually assaulted but waits a while before they tell anyone they might fear that since they did not report it right away there is not going to be evidence and therefore the statement is going to be less credible. People feel like reporting these crimes are not worth the time and emotional effort. Another possible reason as to why many of sexual assault crimes go unreported might be the high levels of psychological distress the situation has caused the victim. Many victims believe that it was their fault that they were assaulted. People who have been sexually assaulted tend to know the perpetrator, either knowing them through friend or family. Reporting the crime could possibly jeopardize future social or family functions, therefore they believe keeping it to themself would be easiest. One last possible reason as to why victims do not report sexual assault crimes is that sexual assault does not always mean rape. There are many other ways someone can be sexual assaulted, but a lot of victims might minimize what actually happened, and make it seem like less of a bigger deal than it really is.

Many people say the sexual assault is prevalent on college campuses, but why? First of all, the environment on a college campus is much different than the environment at...