Every fall semester, colleges try to combat the sexual assaults that spike at the start of each academic year, but experts say many officials don't give students sufficient training to protect themselves or vulnerable peers. Enter NICOLE SNELL -- the award-winning international speaker and self-defense expert who specializes in sexual assault & violence prevention education, personal safety and empowerment. Nicole is the CEO of GIRLS FIGHT BACK, the world-renowned personal safety and self-defense seminar for women. Listen in as Nicole shares everything you need to know about staying safe on college campus and finally putting and end to “The Red Zone.”
Key Take-Aways:
More than half of the male college students who admitted to sexually aggressive behavior (59%) said that they did so by giving drugs or alcohol in order to obtain sex from an un-consenting woman (Koss & Cook, 1993)
[Alcohol] Reduces the ability of victims to detect risk cues and resist effectively (Cleveland, Koss, & Lyons, 1999).
The research generally suggests that alcohol and/or drugs are involved in approximately one-third to two-thirds of all sexual assaults (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2003; Tjaden & Thoennes, 2006; Ullman, Karabatsos, & Koss, 1999). These figures are even higher, however, for sexual assaults committed on a college or university campus.
Lisak, D. & Miller, P.M. (2002). Repeat rape and multiple offending among undetected rapists. Violence and Victims, 17 (1), 73-84
Victim blaming occurs when an observer tries to protect one’s own sense on invulnerability and re-establish their idea of the world as a just place, so in order to retain that comfort zone, the observer concludes the victim must have deserved their fate. They don’t want to believe that the world is not just. Just World Theory.
(Web citation: http://www.ibiblio.org/rcip//vb.html)
One research study involved interviews with 41 serial rapists. Taken together, these offenders had committed 837 known rapes and 401 attempted rapes. The earliest victims were younger siblings, neighborhood children, girlfriends, acquaintances, and spouses. Most of these sexual assaults were never reported, which gives us a chilling picture of what can happen if offenders are not detected or prosecuted (Hazelwood, Rokous, Hartman, & Burgess, 1988).
Stereotypes of women considered ‘gatekeepers” men as “aggressors”, these messages perpetuate ideas that have been held for centuries about what types of behavior are appropriate for women. They suggest that women should not initiate sexual activity or even participate in sexual activity without offering at least some initial protest or resistance, whether it is verbal or physical.
In a sense, these cultural messages give men the "green light" to push women as far as they can sexually and to ignore any protest or resistance by the woman.
While these messages do not turn men into rapists, they do create an environment where aggressive behavior is seen as part of the "normal" role for men in sexual situations. As a result, the behaviors of sexually aggressive men are less likely to be challenged, either by the women who are targeted or by the vast majority of men who are not sexually aggressive. These messages also create an environment where the minority of men who are sexually aggressive are better able to commit their crimes, less likely to be challenged, and more likely to get away with it.
SHOW NOTES:
Malcolm Gladwell talks with Oprah about the Stanford Rape Case: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2980689668670490
Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence
The Realities of Sexual Assault on Campus: https://www.bestcolleges.com/resources/sexual-assault-on-campus/
“The Hunting Ground” Documentary (Trailer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAcO6byawpo
Difference Makers: www.dm10strong.com
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