Health Services

Rape and Sexual Assault

• http://women.webmd.com/sexual-health-rape-date-rape
• http://troopers.ny.gov/crime_prevention/Violence/Date_Rape/

Rape and sexual assault are defined as forced sexual intercourse (including vaginal, anal, and oral penetration). The penetration may be by a body part or an object. Rape may be forced through threats, physical force or psychological coercion. While some extreme cases of rape may involve the use or display or a weapon, physical battering, or immobilization of the victim most cases involve psychological coercion. There are three types of rape; date rape, acquaintance rape, and stranger rape. Acquaintance rape and date rape refer to rapes when the victim knows the attacker and account for 85% of all reported rapes. Stranger rape refers to rape by an unknown attacker and accounts for about 15% of all reported rapes.

Rape touches many women’s lives- one in three women will experience rape or sexual violence in their life time and young women between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four are four times more likely to be sexually assaulted than all other women.  Common reactions to rape include shock, numbness, loss of control, feelings of helplessness, fear, a sense of vulnerability, and feelings of self-blame or guilt for “letting” the crime happen. Some victims feel that these reactions are a sign of weakness but they are not and they are completely normal and okay.

Sexual Assault on College Campuses

Experts agree that available data greatly underestimate the prevalence of sexual assault in the United States. Rape is considered to be one of the most underreported crimes. In fact, it is estimated that upwards of 60% of sexual assaults go unreported. [i] Best estimates indicate that somewhere in the neighborhood of 20% of college students are victims of either attempted or completed rape.[ii]

The Effects of Sexual Assault and Rape

The consequences of sexual assault are numerous. Physically, women who are victims of sexual abuse are more likely to have sexually transmitted infections,[iii] chronic pelvic pain, premenstrual syndrome, gastrointestinal disorders, gynecological and pregnancy complications, migraines, back pain, and facial pain. In addition, an approximate 32,000 pregnancies per year are the result of rape.[iv] Psychologically, sexual assault victims suffer both short term consequences (shock, denial, fear, anxiety, and withdrawal, to name a few), and chronic consequences (depression, attempted or completed suicide, or post-traumatic stress disorder, for example).[v]^-[vi]Socially, victims of sexual assault often experience strained relationships, less frequent contact with friends and relatives, and are less likely to get married.[vii]

Numerous studies have found that sexual assault is more likely to occur in the context of alcohol consumption. [viii] The Harvard School of Public Health, for example, conducted a survey which included students at approximately 120 colleges nationwide. Results indicated that approximately 4.7% of college women had been raped in the year preceding the survey, and that nearly three quarters of the assaults took place while the victim was intoxicated. Risk factors for sexual assault included being female, being less than 21 years of age, being white, residing in a sorority house, using illicit drugs, engaging in heavy alcohol consumption, and attending a college with a high rate of heavy drinking.[ix] Overall, nearly 80% of rape victims are women. In addition, nearly all perpetrators of sexual violence are males.[x]According to a large, national survey conducted by the Department of Justice, 100% of female rape victims were assaulted by men. Similarly, male rape victims are most likely to be victimized by male attackers. The same Department of Justice Survey found that 70% of male rapes were committed by male perpetrators. In a vast majority of cases (over 80%), the assault victim knows his or her attacker.^[xi]

Studies have also demonstrated that students who report having been raped are significantly more likely to also report engaging in a wide range of health-risk behaviors.[xii]Specifically, individuals who have been sexually assaulted are more likely to engage in unprotected sex, choose unhealthy sexual partners, have multiple sexual partners, trade sex for material goods or money, smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, drive under the influence, and take drugs.[xiii] In addition, individuals who have been assaulted are more likely to be victimized again in the future. [xiv]

Sexual Assault at Skidmore

During the 2005-2006 academic year, Skidmore campus safety did not receive a single report of sexual assault. However, data from the CORE Alcohol and Other Drug survey, completed by approximately 650 Skidmore students during the spring of 2006, indicated that 9% of male students and 13% of female students were taken advantage of sexually during the 2005-2006 academic year. Further, 1% of male students and 3% of female students reported that they were victims of rape during the year preceding the survey.

Safety

In general, students feel safe at Skidmore.

•        43% feel safe most of the time
•        57% feel safe all of the time

In general, students feel safe in Saratoga Springs.

•        71.6% feel safe most of the time
•        27.5% feel safe all of the time

Students indicated that they believe sexual assaults are more likely to occur OFF campus.

In reality, sexual assaults are significantly more likely to occur on campu.s 

Forced Touching

10% of students (13% of females and 5% of males) have been touched/fondled against their will while a student at Skidmore.

•        77% of these assaults occurred on campus
•        84% of victims knew the perpetrator
•        61% had consumed alcohol/drugs prior to the assault
•        75% of believe that the perpetrator consumed alcohol/drugs prior to the assault

Attempted Rape

4.6% (6.4% of females and 1% of males) reported experienced attempted rape while a student at Skidmore.

•        84% of these assaults occurred on campus
•        84% knew the perpetrator
•        58% had consumed alcohol/drugs prior to the assault
•        74% reported that the perpetrator had consumed alcohol/drugs prior to the assault

Rape

2.3% (3.1% of females and <1% of males) reported that they had been raped while a student at Skidmore

•        71% of the assaults occurred on campus
•        100% knew the perpetrator
•        57% had consumed alcohol/drugs prior to the assault
•        64% reported that the perpetrator had consumed alcohol/drugs prior to the assault

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted

• Find a safe environment away from the attacker. You can ask a trusted friend to stay with you for moral support
• Don’t bathe or brush your teeth, you need to preserve evidence of the attack
• Write down all the details you can remember about the attack and the attacker
• Get medical attention. It is important to determine the risks of STIs and Pregnancy
• Remember that it wasn’t your fault
• Report the rape to the law enforcement authorities
• Know that healing from a rape takes time and give yourself the time you need
• It is never too late to call, even if the attack happened years ago

If a friend has been raped or sexually assaulted

• Listen, be there, and don’t pass judgment on your friend
• Encourage your friend to report the rape
• Be patient and remember that it will take your friend some time to work through the crime
• Let your friend know that professional help is available but remember that it is their choice to use it

To reduce your risk of rape

• Don’t let yourself be alone with someone you don’t know or trust
• Think about the level of intimacy you want in a relationship and clearly, vocally, set your limits
• Be aware of your surroundings
• Never leave a drink at a party and then come back to it later and don’t accept a drink from an open container.
• Use the buddy system when you go out to parties. Go out and come home together. While you are out, watch out for the safety of your friends.
• Consume alcohol in moderation, 75% of male students and 55% of female students involved in acquaintance rape had been drinking or using drugs prior to the assault.
• Remember that you can take steps to stay safer but if you are raped, it is not your fault.

Noteworthy Programs

• The Center for Sex and Gender Relations is a student-run organization consisting of Peer Advocates who are trained to respond to issues of sexual assault and relationship violence. A Crisis Hotline is available every weekend for students who need to contact a Peer Advocate. They also educate and raise awareness about these issues on the Skidmore campus through The Red Zone—a program that takes place during the first six weeks of school to raise awareness about the increased risk of sexual assault at the beginning of the school year. For more information about this organization, visit their website at http://cms.skidmore.edu/thecenter/index.cfm
• If you, or someone you know, has been a victim of rape the Counseling Center on campus is here to help.
• You can also call the Saratoga Rape Crisis Center, Campus Safety, or stop into Health Services or the Center for Sex and Gender Relations.