Last week I scrolled through my Facebook timeline on my lunch break, as I usually do. My eyes scanned through articles, pictures, status updates, but my attention was immediately directed to one article. This particular piece was written by a student at the University of Arkansas. Her name is Kayla Nicole Kimball and she is a survivor of sexual assault/abuse that went on for over a year. She does not go into specifics of her assault or what exactly it entailed, what she does do is justify her reasoning for filing a complaint after her university failed to do one very important thing.
Her university, FAILED to protect her.
Kimball goes into specific detail of the process that commenced after she had initially gone to the school with the complaint. She inevitably found herself filing a second complaint due to lack of action with her first. She tells all about the obstacles that seem to be purposefully set in place to keep her from attaining her goal of justice, or in this case the removal of her assailant from her campus. What a thought, that not only was the institution less than helpful but that she then had to explain herself afterwards?
This article struck a particular nerve in me. I have always considered myself to be rather outspoken about the epidemic of sexual assault, especially on college campuses. After reading Kimball's story and seeing injustice at the hands of the people who had promised to protect her, I decided to do some digging. The evidence presented was absolutely devastating.
After reading up on countless cases and watching an exceptionally horrifying documentary titled "The Hunting Ground" I was in utter disbelief at the lack of support given to survivors of sexual assault by their Universities. This documentary follows the stories of two college-aged rape (yes, I said the scary word) survivors in their plight for not only justice for themselves but for others around the country as well.
To put things into perspective for you I will share a few of the statistics:
First, more than 16% of college-aged women are sexually assaulted while in college. That is 1 in every 5 college aged women. 88% of these women do not report. It is found that one of the main reasons these women do not report is because school administrators are known for "discouraging" students from proceeding with any reports of sexual assault. By doing this they are able to artificially paint a picture of a safe campus by not having a record of such violent crimes happening on their watch. To put it in simple terms, what parent in their right mind would send their child to a university with a high number of reported sexual assaults? Where does that leave the university? Now you are catching on.
What I would like to touch on next might be the most disturbing part of it all. For this statistic, I will use Harvard University as my example. From 2009-13 there were over 135 sexual assaults reported on campus. There were 10 reported "suspensions" as a result. 10 out of 135? The number of fingers I have on my hands is the same as how many assailants received any form of retaliation from a university for their crimes. Let me inform you that the term retaliation, in this case, is a very loose term. Most assailants received a slap on the wrist at best. That is a sickening statistic. What sense does this make? What if you were to raise the question "But Morgan, some of these "victims MUST be lying. How many of the reported assaults were found to be untrue?" According to the FBI in only 2-8% of reported rape cases is the assailant found to be falsely accused. Which brings us back to the initial statistic. If you were shocked about how little (if at all) these assailants were prosecuted, let me remind you of how often survivors are discouraged from not only proceeding with pressing charges but how administrators are notorious for putting off or purposely putting obstacles in place for survivors for reasons I have already covered.There's even a record of administrators who actively spoke out against their institutions or publicly moving to implement change for survivors being terminated shortly after they started asking the hard questions, some of which were even on Tenure.
If these statistics and stories don't enrage you enough already, put a name to a face. Watch the documentary and do your research. Colleges across the country are actively violating Title IX and all that it stands for. Administrators have taken up arms to protect their brand but not their own students. This leaves survivors running into their attackers in classes, in the dining hall, or even in the library. Imagine trying to take your final exam within your own personal form of hell as your attacker sits unscathed across the room. Would you even show? I don't know if I could. As if the experience of their sexual assault was not enough, these survivors are subjected to victim blaming and a devastating lack of support, leaving them feeling helpless even after the drug effects fade and the bruises heal. Rape is a VIOLENT SEXUAL crime. For the accused, and even more often, the guilty to be enabled by the institutions themselves to walk the commons of their so-called prestigious universities is a travesty in itself.
Its as I read these cases, and look at the faces of these young women as they tell their stories that I feel my anger grow with every word. When is the violation of these women, and even men (1 out of every 16), going to stop? When are universities going to aid their survivors rather than their attackers? If the very people in charge of their protection have abandoned them, who is left? Why is it that in this world the violent and heinous crimes are brushed under the rug all to ensure that no matter what, money is made. Where did we go wrong? Money over safety? Sounds like an excellent plan to me (rolls eyes).
I leave you with a final challenge to not be bystanders when it comes to justice for survivors. I encourage you to support those who have come forward because 88% of those attacked will not. The amount of courage that takes alone should be enough to ensure they are rewarded with justice, whatever it may be. Everyone was up in arms about the sentencing of Brock Turner, but what about the thousands of rapist that sit near us in class that receives no form of punishment whatsoever. What about those rapists? Rapists who now, thanks to their universities turning a blind eye, have found the perfect hunting ground. 9 out of 10 campus assaults are committed by repeat offenders. Why? Because they got away with it the first time.
The big universities have abandoned these victims in hopes to protect themselves. Leaving these sick individuals to prey on unsuspecting students. This disturbing cycle has proven itself time and time again, but where is the outrage? Where are the "Open Letters" the faceless serial rapists in your own residence hall? There were too many to count for Brock Turner. Speak up about campus rape and assault. Be outraged by universities who put their students in danger at the hands of enrollment numbers. Be someone who demands gender equality, man or woman. But mostly, demand justice for those wronged and make our campuses safe again.
