Dating Violence and sexual assault are at highest
The closing of the summer season not only marks the beginning of a new school year, but also the time during which dating violence and sexual assault are at their peak on college campuses.
The first several weeks of school have become known as the “Red Zone” because of the high rates of violence and rape, said Brittany Bennett, program
coordinator for Utah Men Against Sexual Violence.
“The Red Zone is a slang term designating the phenomenon that occurs during the first few weeks and months in school when freshman and sophomore girls are most vulnerable to rape and sexual assault,” Bennett said.
Statistically, girls between the ages of 16 and 24 are at the highest risk, said Rachel Brighton, coordinator of the Sexual Assault and Anti-Violence Information Office, or SAAVI.
Freshman and sophomore girls are more vulnerable because they are new to
their surroundings and are perhaps more naive, Brighton said.
“They are experimenting with new freedoms and new friends,” she said.
“They are still young and a little bit inexperienced and there are those looking to take advantage of the vulnerable.”
Bennett said the best protection is to think and use good judgment.
“Women need to protect themselves by talking, knowing their boundaries and
trusting their gut instinct. Trust your gut and get out,” Bennett said.
Amber Hebdon, an intern at USU’s SAAVI Office, said nationally, one in four
girls has either been raped or experienced attempted rape since their 14th birthday.
In Utah, Hebdon said that number is even higher, with one in three girls a victim of rape or attempted rape since the age of 14.
Perpetrators in sexual assault and rape cases are typically someone the
victim knows.
“Warning signs are jealousy, insecurities and one-way resolutions like ‘my way or the highway,'” Hebdon said.
She said counseling at SAAVI is not only available for the victim, but for secondary survivors as well. She said secondary survivors are those who suffer indirectly from an event like rape, such as family members or friends who feel sadness, guilt or regret.
Tips to help stop sexual violence have been published by UCASA, the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. Information included the need to examine personal attitudes, respect others and avoid perpetuating stereotypes.
Brighton said, “It is never the fault of the victim. It is always the fault of the perpetrator. By sheer definition, it is never the victim’s fault.”
In 2005, USU police had one reported sexual assault and one rape on record – both of which did not occur during the Red Zone, said Lt. Shane Sessions. However, Sessions stressed the importance of realizing that these low numbers do not mean that incidents did not occur.
Per calendar year, Sessions said USU police typically have 0-2 reported rapes, 1-8 counts of sexual assault and 6-10 reported cases of lewdness.
“Ours wouldn’t even mirror national statistics and I would attribute that to the environment in which we live, but that doesn’t mean problems don’t happen,”
Sessions said. “This will not have a full picture of what may actually be occurring on campus as a whole.”
The numbers may not reflect national statistics because not all students live on campus and not all assaults occur on campus, he said, but because both are students, the cases fit into the Red Zone.
The number of reported rapes and sexual assaults are lower with the campus police because of a number of reasons, Sessions said, the first being that not all instances are reported.
Sessions also said that cases are often reported to Logan City Police or other police within the surrounding area, but the people involved may still be students.
“Nationally, for every one woman that reports being raped, nine will not report,” Sessions said.
Excuses for not reporting that Sessions said he most commonly hears from victims are fears about no one believing their story, having their name published in a newspaper, going to court or having to report the incident to someone of the opposite sex.
“To stop it, it’s two-fold. We really need men and women to be aware of what is going on,” Bennett said. “Men are the most common perpetrators of this and we need to help create an environment where it is not acceptable.”
USU’s SAAVI Office will be holding events on Sept. 13 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the plaza south of the TSC in an effort to bring awareness of the Red
Zone and its dangers to university students. Brighton said she wants to familiarize students with services that are offered by SAAVI and other organizations in the area.
More information regarding dating violence, sexual assault and counseling can be found at www.usu.edu/saavi.
ariek@cc.usu.edu