What's happening on campus cannot be ignored

The epidemic of violence against women and girls is something we can no longer afford to ignore or be silent about.

One in 5 women will be raped in their lifetimes, and 1 in 4 college students will become the victim of sexual assault this year alone, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Women Helping Women.

WHW saw a 20 percent increase in the number of sexual assault survivors served throughout Greater Cincinnati last year, and has seen a 60 percent increase in the past three years. And those numbers reflect only the incidents that were reported. More than 90 percent of rapes never get reported to authorities.

Rape rates in Hamilton County are higher than the state and national averages, and Butler County ranks fifth out of Ohio’s 88 counties for sexual violence incidences, according to WHW.

Those are attention-grabbing and deeply troubling figures that signal the need for more substantive conversation and action.

Sexual assault is undoubtedly a sensitive and uncomfortable subject to talk about. As one Xavier University student so aptly put it during a recent roundtable discussion with the editorial board: “We are scared of the word rape, and very nervous to talk about it with our peers.”

Confusion over the law and what actually constitutes rape and/or consent only further complicates the issue. But if we ever hope to reverse this disturbing trend of violence against women, we must overcome our fears, anxieties and preconceived notions and engage in a serious, meaningful dialogue. Our willful silence is only creating more rape victims and allowing those who commit these vicious and cowardly attacks to go unchecked.

These important conversations must first begin at home with parents and children, at an early age. Conversations about sexual assault have to extend beyond parents telling their daughters to cover their drinks, walk with friends, carry pepper spray and not dress too provocatively. Parents must also emphasize to their sons the importance of respecting a woman’s personal space, that no means no and that they also need to protect themselves. Yes, men can be forced into sex, and they can also open themselves up to charges if they don’t learn to read signals from potential partners.

We also need to do more to fight the stigmas that promote rape culture. We live in a patriarchal society that often puts the responsibility for rape and sexual assaults on the victim and passes off sexist and inappropriate behavior and speech as “boys being boys.” This thought process is so engrained in our culture that even our leaders, like Gov. John Kasich, aren’t immune. During a presidential campaign stop in New York this year, Kasich told a woman if she wanted to feel safer from sexual violence and rape on her campus, “Don’t go to parties where there is a lot of alcohol.”

When a woman accused a former Xavier women’s basketball coach of giving her alcohol and touching her inappropriately, Kenton County District Court Judge Ann Ruttle in her acquittal of the man stated, “If she truly was uncomfortable about what was going on … why didn’t she leave?”

Victim-blaming and our reluctance to believe rape survivors are among the main reasons so many cases go unreported, and that must change.

But conversation alone won’t solve the issue. More money has be allocated by the state and federal governments for rape education and prevention. Far too little money is available for rape prevention and awareness, advocates say. Ohio, for example, has allocated about $2 million from the state budget for its Changing Campus Climate grants aimed at reducing sexual violence at colleges and universities. Miami University ($1,835) and Xavier and Cincinnati State Community and Technical College ($7,500 each) have received funds through the grant program. That’s a pittance.

Universities must continue to develop strong policies and programs and investigate allegations of sexual assault thoroughly. Institutions of higher learning can no longer sweep these incidents under the rug to protect high-profile athletes or to avoid negative publicity. They must pursue cases, hold students accountable with discipline and work hand-in-hand with police to pursue criminal charges if necessary.

Xavier is regarded as an institution of higher learning that is getting it right. Last year, Xavier received twice as many reports of acquaintance rape compared with the previous year. While some universities might view this as a negative, Xavier’s leadership regards it as quite the opposite. More reports mean the university is taking the issue of sexual assault seriously and that students are beginning to believe in the processes and procedures Xavier has in place. Students shouldn’t have to sue their school for mishandling their sexual assault cases. More colleges need to follow Xavier’s example.

Lastly, survivors of sexual assault must come forward with greater frequency. Right now, few do, and, as a result, fewer rapists face trial and few still serve jail time. It’s easy to understand why most survivors don’t want to deal with the victim-blaming in addition to the trauma of being raped. It’s also not hard to fathom why survivors wouldn’t trust a justice system that often lets their attackers off with a slap on the wrist, like in the case of convicted Stanford rapist Brock Turner, or even scot-free.

It’s true that rape cases can be notoriously difficult to prosecute because of the he-said-she-said nature of most cases. But for the number of sexual assaults to fall, the number of reported cases must first rise. Survivors have to be courageous enough to seek justice to get justice. As long as so many cases go unreported, rape culture and the stigma that victims endure will persist.