[kinsey] April Is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) – Are We Aware Yet?

22 04 2013

This was originally posted at Kinsey Confidential.

There is still a little over a week left in April – Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM).  This is our annual 30-day-long recognition of a problem that affects far too many people, especially girls and women: sexual violence.  The primary goals of the month is to raise awareness about sexual violence and, ultimately, eliminate it all together.

With nearly forty years of anti-sexual violence activism — are we aware yet?  Unfortunately, not so much.

What Is Sexual Violence?

An important starting point for raising awareness about sexual violence is to define it.  A major focus of sexual violence prevention is on sexual assault, which is typically defined as any sexual contact with a person without their consent, through coercion, or by force.

Because of inconsistent definitions in the law, especially from state to state, non-consensual sex is sometimes referred to as rape.  Some distinguish rape from sexual assault to include any non-consensual sexual acts that involve penetration.

While these distinctions are important, at least for legal purposes, they are not inclusive of other unwanted sexual acts.  So, advocates have pushed for recognition of the full range of such acts under the broad umbrella of sexual violence.  This broader category includes:

Attention to sexual violence, as a broad class of non-consensual sexual acts, also allows for attention to victims who are often overlooked, including boys and men.

The Basis Of Sexual Violence

Next, it is important to understand what sexual violence is based upon.  Sexual violence is an expression of power.  It is a tool that is used to physical, mentally, and/or emotionally control another person.  It is not an expression of sexual desire.

In understanding sexual violence this way, the myths that someone simply goes over board, gets carried away, or that their hormones got out of control are dispelled.

Beyond Individuals

By “power,” I am referring primarily to the social hierarchies, which place members of our society either at a high or low status.  Most attention has been paid to sexual violence as an expression of sexism.  In particular, women are afforded lower status and less power in society than men.  There are various things that some men do to further limit women’s status or disempower them, or even take advantage of them, including sexual violence.

So, it is important to look beyond what, on the surface, appears to be a private, individual act of sexual violence.  For example, the seemingly personal acts of acquaintance rape  and spousal rape are fundamentally political because they serve as an express of sexism.  But, sexual violence may also be based on other systems of oppression, including racism, homophobia, transphobia, classism, ageism, ableism, and fatphobia.

Sexual Violence And Oppression

But, sexual violence is not merely an expression of one or more of these systems of inequality.  It is also influenced and justified by them.  For example, sexism includes the rigid control of women’s bodies and sexualities, the sexual objectification of girls and women, and so forth.  This creates a dynamic where girls and women are vulnerable to sexual violence, and in which some men feel entitled to women’s bodies.

When women are victimized, the act is justified by stereotyping men as naturally oversexed and women as asexual, or by blaming the victim.  Alternatively, others may turn a blind eye, or even deny that it occurred.

Also, sexual violence actually reinforces these systems of oppression.  Again, using the example of sexism, women’s subordinate status to men, and constrained opportunities and well-being are partly the artifact of sexual violence.  Some reports suggest 1 in 4 women are survivors of rape or sexual assault, and, thereafter are at risk for facing various health problems.  Even more women live in fear that they may be victimized (or revictimized).

Sexual Violence As A Social Problem

Reflecting the systematic component of oppression, sexual violence is not a random occurrence.  And, all members of society do not share an equal chance of being victimized.  Women make up 90 percent of survivors of sexual violence.  In addition, there is evidence that repeat perpetrators of sexual violence account for most acts of sexual assault and rape.

Sexual violence, then, reflects a society-wide problem.  Further, some social organizations and institutions play a role, either by 1) ignoring such acts, 2) failing to support survivors and protect victims from further harm, 3) failing to punish perpetrators, 4) condoning these acts, and/or 5) facilitating sexual violence.  For example, colleges and universities have been criticized for (unintentionally) creating space for rampant sexual violence on campuses.  Recently, more and more schools have come under fire for doing too little in response to sexual violence, or even discouraging reports of victimization.

Culturally, how we talk about sexual violence (or not) contributes to the problem.  Too often, in everyday conversations, the media, pop culture, and so forth, jokes are made about rape and sexual assault, victims are blamed for their own victimization, and perpetrators are excused for actions.  In fact, many have argued that we live in a rape culture because sexual violence and the cultural norms that condone it are so pervasive.

Another facet to this is the harassment and bullying that survivors face for reporting their victimization, and their and allies’ public anti-sexual violence activism.  In other words, some victims and allies who speak out face a backlash, which aims to silence them.  A strong effort is made to keep sexual violence invisible, or at least seem like isolated, random, private acts.

Sexual Violence Prevention As A Community Responsibility

Because sexual violence is such a huge, widespread problem, no one person can stop it alone.  That is why many anti-sexual violence advocates are pushing for bystander intervention – a call for others to fight against sexual violence.  This includes:

  1. Intervening when sexual violence occurs if it is safe to do so.  For example, this can mean alerting a teacher if your friend confides in you that she is being molested by her uncle (and she agrees to have you tell the teacher).  Or, making sure your friend, who is very drunk, gets home to his own bed after a party.  Or, letting your coworker know that whistling at women on the street is a form of harassment and encourage him to stop.
  2. Supporting victims and survivors of violence.  One of the most important things to do is ensure them that you hear them and believe them.  (Unfortunately, they may be doubted by others, and face the broader victim-blaming norms in society.)  Ask them how you can help them.  And, ask them whether they wish to report their victimization (e.g., to the police).  It is okay to encourage them to pursue either support for themselves or punishment for the perpetrator, but ultimately they can choose not to and you should respect that.
  3. Challenging victim-blaming and other aspects of our rape culture.  For example, speak up when you hear rape jokes or “slut-shaming.”  Or, write to media outlets or politicians who perpetuate these problems.  Or, join an anti-sexual violence campaign or organization.  Participate in your own or the nearest college’s Take Back the Night rally and other anti-sexual violence events.
  4. Educate yourself and others.  For example, help to raise awareness about what sexual violence is, how it is a society-wide problem, and what we can all do to prevent it.  Have frank, yet age-appropriate conversations with your children, students, or other young people about consent.
  5. Break the silence about sexual violence.  This goes for allies and, if they feel safe and comfortable, survivors of sexual violence.  This means bringing up the subject when opportunities arise, or even making those opportunities happen.  My own approach is to blog and cover sexual violence in the courses I teach.  While it may be difficult in some ways, I find that men who are allies to survivors can have great impact in speaking up about sexual violence.

Indeed, we are not there yet in having a good understanding of sexual violence and why it persists.  But, hopefully, we will at least be closer by next year’s Sexual Assault Awareness Month!  And, of course, our collective efforts should not be limited to the month of April.

Additional Resources

 


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Categories : Abortion, Activism, Anti-Sexism, Bodies, Bystander Intervention, Crime, Criminal Justice, Dating Violence, Desire, Discrimination, Domestic Violence, Equality, Fear, Feminism, Gender, Hate Crimes, Inequality, Injustice, Intersectionality, Intimate Partner Violence, Kinsey Confidential, Media, Men, Oppression, Patriarchy, Popular Culture, Power, Prejudice, Rape, Rape Culture, Sex, Sexism, Sexual Assault, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, Sexuality, Social Institutions, Social Norms, Society, Victim-Blaming, Violence, Violence Against Women, Women, Women of Color

Cited!

22 03 2013

Yesterday, I posted my essay in Remarks, the newsletter of ASA‘s Section on Racial and Ethnic Minorities, and noted that I anxiously wait use of my 2012 article in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.   Well, let the citations begin!  Here’s one in the American Journal of Public Health and another in Sociological Perspectives.

Citations

And, in case my essay encouraging other scholars to blog was not convincing enough, I now have evidence of my own influence as a blogger.  Not In Our State, an upcoming anti-racist conference in Tennessee, is using my blog post on bystander intervention for racism as a part of its theme.  Wow!


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A Call For Bystander Intervention To End Racism

27 02 2013

In the recent sociological blog debate on racism versus the supposed dawn of “post-racism” in America, we often touched on problems that make talking about racism difficult, if not entirely impossible.  In addition to institutional constraints, there are interpersonal factors that can derail meaningful conversations about race and racism.  In addition to calling attention to these barriers, it is important to make explicit that too few people take on this difficult task.

Responsibility For (Anti-)Racism

In general, too few people consistently assume responsibility for talking about race and racism, and fighting racism more broadly.  That kind of work is presumed to be taken on by activists and leaders of social movements.  But, in particular, the responsibility generally falls in the laps of those victimized by it — in this case, people of color.  As Jason noted in his contribution to the “post-racism” blog debate, racial and ethnic minorities generally face this burden alone.

But, people of color are neither alone in this racist society nor the creators of this system of oppression.  Whites are implicated by virtue of the benefits they receive (i.e., white privilege) from the historical legacy of racism, as well as today.  Eliminating racism, then, is just as much their responsibility, if not more, as it is for people of color.

As I re-watched a few of ABC’s “What Would You Do” social experiments regarding race and racism, I was reminded just how problematic America’s sense of responsibility for racism and anti-racism are.  While too few whites intervene when they witness racist discrimination in stores against (innocent) people of color, many seem quick to intervene to sanction Black people’s criminal behavior but not that of whites (see part 1 and part 2).  (Three young Black men sleeping in their own car got more calls to 911 than did three young white men vandalizing and breaking into someone else’s car.)

A Personal Anecdote

Racist events are plentiful, from small slights to extreme forms of violence.  So, there are too many missed opportunities to confront racism, or at least learn from these events to do things differently in the future.  One such event stands out in my own life.

At the start of my second semester of graduate school, my cohort and I sat through the beginning of our training and preparation to carry out a telephone survey on social attitudes that summer.  In talking through concerns for the project, whether we as  interviewers “talk black” was posed as a potential bias in our interviews.  It felt as though as though a grenade had gone off right in the middle of class, but we continued on ignoring it.  I thought, “was I the only one who heard that?”

This event only became an issue when my colleagues of color and I were overheard joking about the racist comment the following week.  That was brought to the attention of the professor who, out of concern, asked us whether and how to “handle” this.  Three weeks later, we finally devoted an entire two-hour class to discussing the comment about “talking black” — a phrase the professor wrote explicitly on the board to facilitate our conversation.

Of course, five minutes that felt like an eternity passed before anyone broke the thick silence that suffocated the room — it was me, naturally, in which I called attention to that deafening silence.  As the tense conversation carried on, my cohort was divided, with the students of color and anti-racist white students taking issue with the concern about “talking black,” and the rest remaining silent, or speaking up to say they did not see a problem or even recast the comment in their head so that it was not problematic.

The conversation boiled down to whether the commenter said “talking black” or talking black, where the quotation marks became the symbolic boundary between belief that there is a(n inferior) style of English unique to Black Americans and the knowledge that others believe that (but not believing it oneself).  Only a racist person would forgo the quotation marks, for this would reflect their own beliefs.

With the conversation ending with a half-ass apology from the commenter, that one’s upbringing in the Midwest should suffice as an excuse for one’s racist prejudice, we left the room more divided than ever before.  The rest of our department remained curious bystanders, but nothing more came of these events outside of the efforts of students of color to challenge racism in the department and university.

To add insult to injury, later in the semester, my colleagues of color and I overheard some of our classmates complain about the ongoing divisiveness, placing blame on us for not having gotten “over it” yet.  Their simultaneous lack of understanding and lack of sympathy only further fueled the division.  I am happy to say that a great deal has been forgiven, but one can never forget such events.  But, sadly, because little came of it, we saw yet another racist event occur years later.

A Call For Bystander Intervention

I, as others before me, call for a bystander intervention approach to ending racism.  Too often, individuals not directly involved in a dangerous or difficult scenario — or bystanders — simply stand-by and watch without intervening to provide help.  As such, in the case of the prevention of sexual violence (since this “bystander effect” was coined after no one intervened in the brutal rape and murder of Kitty Genovese), advocates have strongly emphasized the need to turn bystanders into potential interveners – “bystander intervention.“  Applied to racism, this means that individuals are called to action to intervene if they witness racist discrimination, bullying, or violence.

However, I push this anti-racist bystander intervention one step further beyond intervening in difficult situations.  Similar to my calls for bystander intervention to prevent sexual violence (i.e., rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment), I stress that our anti-racist work must include a sense that racism is a community issue and, as such, anti-racism is a community responsibility.

Ways To Intervene

A related aspect is noting that racism exists at multiple levels and, as such, there are an infinite number of ways in which we can fight it:

  1. One can intervene when they witness racist discrimination or harassment.  Of course, this depends upon a number of factors that make this easier said than done.  And, no one should intervene in ways that place them at risk for getting hurt.  If it is a scenario of extreme violence, like a racially-motivated hate crime, a safe means of intervening may be to call the police.  If it is an instance of the unfair firing of a Latina coworker, you could approach your supervisor to note that you feel your coworker deserves a second chance.
  2. Challenge racist prejudice.  This can entail calling people out who appear to harbor prejudice toward people of color, or hold misguided stereotypes.  It also means calling out offensive comments that others’ may make about racial and ethnic minorities.
  3. Challenge yourself.  No matter one’s racial or ethnic background, and one’s racial ideology, no one is immune to the pervasive poison of racism.  It is important to also check your own biases and actions.  Do you seek out friends of the same race?  Do you avoid “that part of town”?  Do you do certain things, at least in part, to avoid appearing racist?
  4. Educate yourself.  Unfortunately, most Americans leave formal education knowing little about racism and the history and experiences of people of color beyond obligatory coverage during Black History Month.  To push beyond this, one can take the time to learn more (even from March to January).  Read books about and by people of color.  Go see films on historical and contemporary accounts of the lives of racial and ethnic minorities.  Visit museums that feature exhibits on race and ethnicity.  Become comfortable talking about race and racism with the people around you, no matter their race and ethnicity.
  5. Support victims of racist prejudice, discrimination, and violence.  As I wrote the first suggestion, I realized that there are so many concerns that one may have in directly challenging racist actions.  But, there are fewer concerns regarding harm in supporting victims of these actions.  Though your supervisor who unfairly fired your Latina coworker very well could threaten you, as well, you are freer to reach out to your coworker.  See if she wants to talk, needs help finding a new job, or even filing a discrimination or EEO complaint.  Even outside of severe instances of racist acts, you can be a supportive ally by really hearing people out when they reveal their experiences to you (rather than blaming them or encouraging them to think of alternative reasons for those acts).
  6. Challenge racist practices of organizations and institutions.  Though the days of overt racist laws and policies are mostly gone, there are still many — albeit neutral in intention and language — that disproportionately harm people of color.  It is important to challenge these, just as it is to challenge racism at the individual-level.  Maybe you can speak up if your workplace implements a dress-code policy that unfairly targets racial and ethnic minorities.  Take action to prevent the efforts to repeal Affirmative Action and other policies that aim to redress racial inequality.  Educate yourself and others about how new policies or policy change can contribute to racial equality, even if they are not targeted solely toward people of color (e.g., Affordable Care Act).

Concluding Thoughts

Obviously, everyone cannot become leaders of social movements like Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. or lead deadly anti-racist efforts like abolitionist John Brown or the slain Mississippi civil rights workers.  Most of us are not lifelong activists.

But, there are many opportunities throughout a given day to make a difference, no matter how small.  For, even small acts add up to a big contribution to challenge prejudice and stereotypes, educate oneself and others, end racist discrimination and violence, and promote racial diversity and equality.  Just as we are all implicated in racism, it will take all of us to end it.


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Preventing Sexual Violence And Supporting Survivors Is A Community Responsibility

23 01 2012

The title of this post sums up the position that many have taken in efforts to prevent sexual violence (e.g., rape, sexual assault, incest, stalking, sexual harassment) and to support survivors of violence.  Such a stance goes against two problematic positions, one hostile and one supportive to survivors of violence.

  1. Hostile Victim-Blaming: Unfortunately, many people lay blame for sexual violence in the hands of victims of violence themselves.  Violent acts, such as sexual assault, are seen as incidents that are preventable simply by changing one’s behavior, interactions with others, appearance, and mentality.  First, survivors of violence, especially women, face the dilemma of providing proof that they have been victimized.  Second, if they are believed, they must provide enough evidence to convince others that such violence was not somehow the result of being sexually promiscuous, dressing in revealing clothing, giving “mixed signals” in interactions (sexual and non-sexual) with one’s attacker, drinking too much, and so forth.
  2. Supportive Victim-Blaming: Indeed, many are concerned with eliminating sexual violence for good.  But, efforts to prevent violence, like the above, center on the victims of violence themselves.  As an online op-ed at Ebony magazine points out, too much sexual violence prevention work provides potential and past victims of violence suggestions to protect themselves: don’t walk alone at night in unfamiliar places, tell a friend where you are going, watch your drinks at parties, don’t go home with strangers.  While this position differs from the above in its concern for survivors of violence, it too lays responsibility for sexual violence on the victims themselves.

Sexual Violence As A Social Problem

With estimates denoting that 17-25 percent of women and 3 percent of men are survivors of violence (experiencing sexual violence at least once in their lifetimes), it is undeniable that a substantial portion of the US population is directly or indirectly affected by violence.  The numbers alone point to a larger, systemic problem that cannot be reduced to the individual motivations and actions of every instance of sexual violence.  Yet, there are many other social factors that contribute to making sexual violence a standard component of our social world, as well.

  • Myths and stereotypes: One barrier to acknowledging and addressing sexual violence and supporting victims of violence is the inaccurate, and sometimes offensive, “information” that pervades our culture regarding gender, sex, sexuality, and violence.  Sexual violence myths include assuming all victims are women, attacked by a lone stranger (a man) in a ski mask lurking in the bushes.  But, stereotypes outside of sexual violence also contribute to a false understanding of sexual violence: men with uncontrollable sexual appetites (“they can’t help themselves“), women who have or should have little interest in sex, strong and aggressive men and weak and passive women, LGBT people as sexual aggressors, etc.
  • Exclusive focus on victims: Even in prevention advocacy and research, we place so much attention on survivors of violence — who are they, what happened to them, how many are there.  Despite extreme underreporting of sexual violence because of stereotypes, the feeling that no one will believe you, fear of retaliation by one’s attacker, and so forth, we have some sense of the demographics of survivors of violence.  But, we know little about perpetrators of sexual violence, with most information coming from reports about those who have been convicted of sexual violence.  One important fact, surprising to some, is that most perpetrators of sexual violence are not men lurking in bushes at night, nor are they otherwise innocent men who got carried away once in sexual activity; perpetrators tend to be repeat offenders (of both sexual violence and non-sexual crimes) and often know the person they attack.
  • Misplaced responsibility: Too often, potential and past victims of sexual violence are burdened with the responsibility for such violence and any efforts to prevent violence.  We, as a society, generally fail to place such responsibility on the perpetrators of sexual violence.  And, when we do, we narrowly focus on them, while ignoring others’ responsibilities to prevent sexual violence and to support survivors.  Many advocates and researchers are beginning to promote the notion of bystander intervention, which calls upon others who witness violence to intervene.  And, while we must push to never see another case where bystanders stand idly by as someone is attacked, our efforts to encourage bystander intervention also include promoting ways to change the culture that condones sexual violence: challenging gender stereotypes and gender socialization in general; teaching about sexual violence; teaching about sexual violence as expressions of sexism, racism, homophobia, classism, ageism, xenophobia, ableism, and so on.
  • Exclusive focus on gender: Another barrier to comprehensively understanding sexual violence is focusing exclusively on the role of gender: men rape women.  What is missing from this narrow analysis, besides overlooking male survivors of violence, is attention to the ways that sexual violence intersects with race and ethnicity, sexual identity, gender identity, class, body size and shape, age, nativity, and ability.  Attending to these systems of oppression does not mean only documenting demographic characteristics of the survivors and perpetrators of violence.  It also means assessing how sexual violence may operate as manifestations of these systems of power, for sexual violence itself is an expression of power over another person.  For example, in many countries, lesbian, bisexual, and queer women are raped by men in an effort to “cure” them of their sexual orientation.
  • Ignoring the role of society: Given the pervasive problem of sexual violence in society, many advocates and academics have argued for thinking about sexual violence more broadly.  As noted above, we too often lay blame on individuals, especially survivors of violence, while ignoring the roles that communities, social institutions, and culture play.  Some have pointed out that we live in a culture that normalizes sexual violence — we live in a “rape culture.”  Various institutions, like colleges, the military, and the medical system, are implicated in their failure to prevent sexual violence, support survivors of violence, and punish perpetrators of violence.  Some have argued that these institutions are structured in ways that make sexual violence invisible and potentially even promote violence.

Indeed, given the complexity and multiple layers and dimensions of the problem of sexual violence, it seems like a tall task to take on.  But, in order to protect everyone from sexual violence and to support survivors of violence, we must address every aspect of the problem.  We can no longer leave the responsibility to prevent sexual violence exclusively in the hands of potential and past victims of violence.


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Categories : Academia, Activism, Domestic Violence, Gender, Intersectionality, Intimate Partner Violence, Men, Oppression, Power, Sexual Assault, Sexual Violence, Social Norms, Stereotypes, Violence, Violence Against Women, Women

Who Cares About Whores? Apparently, No One.

24 05 2010

As a social scientist, I like my research findings to be reliable and valid – the two, sometimes competing goals of most researchers.  That is, we want to ensure that we are actually measuring what we set out to measure, and that our findings are accurate.  ABC’s What Would You Do series, a set of hidden-camera experiments that investigate average people’s willingness to behave in certain ways (e.g., intervene in sexual harassment), is not the most scientific endeavor.  But, its work is an important contribution to understanding the reality of many social problems.

Hooray! Some People Intervene In (Public) Domestic Violence

One of WWYD‘s latest experiments was to investigate people’s willingness to intervene in a public domestic violence incident in a restaurant.  A intraracial (same-race) heterosexual couple sat in a restaurant – the man who yelled and physically assaulted a woman, who had obvious bruises on her face and limbs (to indicate prior abuse).  In the first of two experiments, the woman was dressed “conservatively.”  For both a white and Black couple, some individuals hesitated only minutes before intervening.  I am relieved to see that the Black woman was not left to fend for herself relative to the white woman, but I am curious about the subtle racial dynamics: a white heterosexual couple, especially the male partner, intervened when the white actors played out the domestic violence scene; two Latina cousins intervened when it was the Black couple.

Who Cares? She’s A Whore.

WWYD clearly some homework in advance.  With a sociologist who studies domestic violence on hand, they knew to predict that, if dressed “provocatively,” the actor playing a victim of domestic violence would be left to fend for herself.  As predicted, the intervention was substantially lessened compared to the intervention in the first experiment.  While many seated near them noticed, some called 911 and/or notified staff at the restaurant, no one actually interacted with the couple.  Two disgusting rationales were provided for bystanders’ unwillingness to get involved: 1) I assumed she was a hooker, 2) domestic violence has a time and a place – in private.  Sadly, what is clear is that we, as a society, have deemed certain women as deserving of domestic violence and all women, if dressed like “whores,” are acceptable targets of such abuse.

Sexism’s Dual Edge Sword

This frightening double standard for ignoring/condoning domestic violence, one standard for “reputable” and deserving women, another for “whores,” highlights a dual edge sword for women.  You can dress “conservatively” and be dismissed as undateable, even a lesbian (e.g., Elana Kagan).  Or, you can dress to the standard society demands of women, nearly naked, and be dismissed as a whore who is deserving of whatever ill-treatment and abuse you receive.  But, before we jump to the conclusion that we must encourage women to show less leg than nuns, we have to realize that rapists and harassers do not discriminate on the basis of age, attractiveness, or style of dress: all women are potential targets of harassment, assault, and rape.  No matter which end of the dual edge sword you are willing to face, you can get stabbed in our sexist society.

Another Call For Bystander Intervention

From the first of these two experiments, it seemed easier for some people to intervene, in some way, once others had broken the ice.  And, the more others had intervened, the more it seemed others were willing to do more.  But, when people only looked, their inaction and even rationale for failing to intervene indicated that it was not their responsibility.  The comments that alluded to a “time and a place” when domestic violence is appropriate highlighted that we all have a responsibility: do it, but not in public.  But, others intense involvement contradicted those messages: we have to respond, we must respond.  I do not care to apologize for saying this: NO VICTIM IS DESERVING OF VICTIMIZATION.  NO VICTIM CAN BE BLAMED FOR THEIR VICTIMIZATION. As such, a victim of violence could be covered from head to toe, or wearing their birthday suit – it does not matter; but what matters is that we acknowledge that all forms of violence against women and men are social problems.  And, as such, we must, as a society, work together to prevent such violence.  Beyond intervening in the most intense level of violence, we must intervene at every stage: challenge rape jokes, speak up when you see sexual harassment, teach your children that harassment is not okay, practice open communication in your own relationships, call the police, take your friend home when he/she is passed out at a party, etc.  It is our responsibility.


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Categories : Black People, Dating, Gender, Hate Crimes, Law, Media, Men, People of Color, Rape, Sexism, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, Society, Violence Against Women, White People, Women

Victim-Blaming And Failed Justice For Rape Victims – A Call For Bystander Intervention

19 03 2010

Last last year, as many as 10 young men gang-raped a 15-year-old girl, while another 10 people watched, in Richmond, California.  As horrible as the attack was, with many questions that swarm regarding one’s ability to witness such a gruesome attack without intervening or calling for help, we already have a name for this phenomenon: the bystander effect.  The term was coined to make sense of how 38 people witnessed, by hearing and/or seeing, the violent rape and murder of Kitty Genovese in 1964.  And, subsequent research has found that the diffusion of responsibility, or the pressure one perceives to intervene, increases as the number of people present increases.

A Disconnect Between Problems And Solutions

Unlike other countries, like some in Europe, many of the US’s Good Samaritan laws are focused on protecting individuals who help in emergency situations from criminal and financial liability, yet, there is little about holding responsible those who fail to intervene in such situations.  (Think back to the 1997 death Princess Diana, when seven paparazzi were later charged with failing to abide by France’s Good Samaritan law.)  Further, the primary solution that has been offered by activists, scholars, and lay people to prevent sexual violence (i.e., rape, sexual assault) is to equip women with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to protect themselves from future attacks.   This, unfortunately, means that, when these strategies fail, and a woman is sexually assaulted or raped, she is at risk for being blamed for her own attack (“victim-blaming“).

A victim-blaming post at the Daily Princetonian has sparked a wave of criticism of the continued prevalence of victim-blaming for sexual violence, coupled with the emergence of evidence that colleges are failing to seek justice for victims of sexual violence (see here, here, here, and here).  For example, NPR reported on a woman who was raped in her Indiana University dorm in 2006, sought to bring criminal charges up on her rapist, but never received justice.  The rapist was suspended from IU for a year, but returned, forcing the woman to drop out for fear for her safety and emotional well-being.  So, for all of the pushing to report sexual assaults when they happen, given that so few women report them when they happen, there is a great chance the police and, if a college student, the university will fail to do anything meaningful.  Heck, just last week, a student at the University of Massachusetts Amherst admitted to raping a woman, but, essentially, he will face no punishment from UMass.  So, women are told to protect themselves (i.e., be covered head to toe, don’t get drunk, and don’t hookup), and then are blamed if they are raped and are given few options to see that justice is achieved.

Hold The Community Responsible

Over the years, I have come across rape conceptualized as a social problem, public health concern, and product of sexism and patriarchy, to mention a few.  The missing link, however, has been conceptualizing sexual violence as a community problem.  As long as we provide prevention strategies for potential victims and potential perpetrators of sexual violence, we will continue to leave individuals to protect themselves and blame them when they fail to do so.  The critical shift, then, is to hold everyone responsible for preventing sexual violence.  This includes every member in the community – advocates, activists, educators, law enforcement officials, social workers, psychologists, medical professionals, and so forth.  And, this includes prevention at every point on the continuum of sexual violence, not simply intervening when an event has reached the point of rape.  This means challenging sexist jokes or comments, calling out harassing behavior, pushing for changes in social and community norms about gender roles, sexual behavior, and relationships, and, of course, intervening when rape and sexual assault occur.  This approach has been called bystander intervention, but, clearly implicates everyone as a bystander, not merely those who witness the most intense, violent forms of sexual violence.  The goal of such an approach is to prevent sexual violence before it ever starts, and also shifting the responsibility and blame from potential victims to the entire community.

For some reason, we continue to think about rape and sexual assault as an entirely different category of crime.  High crime rates, in terms of robberies, thefts, vandalism, assaults, and murders, can unify a community (i.e., neighborhood watch, town hall meetings) and get the attention of politicians and law enforcement, but rape and sexual assault does not seem to mobilize communities in the same way.  Murder, assault, and robbery victims are not blamed for their own attack, no matter what they did, who they are, or how they’re dressed, yet the same is not true for victims of sexual violence.  Areas with high rates of sexual violence aren’t categorized as “problem areas” in the same way that they are when other types of crimes are common; if that were true, most college campuses would be deemed high-crime areas.  (Yet, we let rapists continue to attend school and live on campus even when they’ve been convicted of sexual assault or rape.)  It’s time we take seriously sexual violence as a problem of the community.


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Categories : Activism, College, Gender, Hate Crimes, Law, Men, NSRC Dialogues, Rape, Sex, Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Sexual Violence, Society, Women