Sexual Assault Among College Females

Sexual assault is real, the current unfolds have put this to the bare. I have also been simply amazed by the high profile sexual assault cases, and how such cases have been handled mainly, to favor the perpetrators while at the same time objectifying the victim. I also agree that it is time to address this and my concern is on sexual assault of females in colleges and other institutions of higher education. Sexual assault in colleges is a common well-known secret. However, I think that it is still hard for college females to come out because they don’t know how to deal with the attention they attract for the rest of their life. As a result, it is common that a female sexually assaulted in college might choose to live silently with the wrong perpetrated against them. This line of thought is anchored on the thinking that, it is very easy for those top in the corporate world to come out because their lives are well founded. I am interested in this topic because I feel it still needs more attention and more should be done by the society to empower the female college student and more so, through letting the male college student know the need to respect their female fellow students. I think that sexual assault is a crime and essentially, a wrong that degrades a person destroying their self-esteem, they do not experience love and have lifelong repercussions for those who are assaulted unless they seek counseling services, which is important. The negative effects are also not limited to the victim, but also the perpetrator. I think that sexual assault perpetrators are simply twisted in their emotions, senses, and basically cowards who don’t know how to express their feelings. To better understand this problem, I will be putting it into context objectively and determining; (1) what is the status of sexual assault among college female as per the latest statistics and what is the likelihood of a victim choosing to stay silent? (2) What measures and strategies have been put in place to sensitize the society in general on the issue and what is the result? (3) What is the opinion of college males on the issue of sexual assault for their female fellow college students?
My search process
I began my search process by making a plan. I had to first determine the sources that would provide me with authentic and certifiable information. I had to go for information contained in government records or organizations that deal with rape and sexual assault. The search would be robustly done through the use of scholarly accredited databases. The scholarly databases and search engines that I would use were Google Scholar, the University library, and the University Dean of students. To get information from these sources, I had to use relevant keywords to search. Using the relevant keywords was the only guarantee of getting the right and relevant information. The first keyword that I would use was simply “sexual assault among college females”. The second keywords were “sexual assault statistics”, and lastly “sexual assault prevention strategies in colleges”.
After I had drafted the plan, I considered it wise to get an expert opinion on how to go about the search. The expert opinion nearest to me was the social sciences department of the university. I visited the department on the following day, and I was opportune to find one Professor Mendez. The professor gave me an appointment for the next day. Professor Mendez reviewed my plan and helped to streamline it especially on the governmental departments to search for, and how to synthesize the information available. He also pointed out that my search should have an inclusion and exclusion criteria. The meeting with Professor Mendez lasted for about 45 minutes and it was very fruitful for I now knew the specific areas to look for and how to create an inclusion and exclusion criteria.
I then progressed to create an inclusion and exclusion criteria as was advised by the professor. For the online search, search results were to be included if they were published in the last five years, published in English, addressed the subject of sexual abuse among female college students in terms of statistics, prevention strategies adopted, the opinions of male college students, policies, or status of the problem in the society and its effects.
With the search plan ready, I proceeded to conduct the search which began in Google scholar. I conducted a search with the keywords which returned various results. Among those Professor Mendez had recommended include the department of justice, and the national sexual violence resource center, and federal law. A file from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center provided sexual abuse statistics clearly with vivid discussions (National Sexual Violence Resource Center), while another from the US Department of Justice discussed the issue of rape and gender-based violence in colleges from 1995 to 2013 (Sinozich et al., 1-15). There were also articles from researchers with vital information on the study subject which I also thought were important and relevant in adding to the body of knowledge. Stoner et al. conducted a systematic review to establish the rates, facilitators and the barriers to the use of healthcare services on campus as related to rape and sexual assault. An article by Wallace illuminated the issue further while at the same time tackling the strategies to prevent the problem, which I thought was also very relevant.
Next, I visited the university library for further research on the subject. I talked to the librarian about the use of EBSCOhost and she showed me how to use the browse topics features which allowed me to find out how many search terms have been used in the database. I found that sexual assault among college females had about 50 10 searches.
Next, I visited the university dean of students to determine whether sexual assault was a problem in the university and if yes, how serious was the problem. I met with the dean of students on the fifth day of my research. He acknowledged that there had been instances where sexual assault has been reported mainly among the students, with few cases being reported by both the teaching and the non-teaching staff, especially females. Per year, the dean’s office received on average fifteen sexual assault-related cases. Because of the problem of proving the case, most of these cases are never solved but when there is an evidence to collaborate the claim, there normally is expulsion and the case is handed to the state justice institutions.
By the end of the week, I had completed research. I felt pretty confident that I had gathered substantial information on the problem of sexual assault among college females. Based on the information, I believed that I had the answers to determine the three research questions that I had established earlier in the process.
What I have learned
In the environment of college and institutions of higher education, sexual assault is rampant.
· One out of five females is sexually assaulted while in college (National Sexual Violence Resource Center).
· Of the female college students assault, only 23% are likely to report the case to the authorities (Wallace)
· In the college environment, more than 90% of females who are assaulted sexually do not and will not report the assault (National Sexual Violence Resource Center).
· Information gathered from the interview with the Dean of Students at the University collaborates with the above statistic.
· For college males who admitted to perpetrating sexual assault, 63% of them self-reported to rape or an attempt to rape and also admitted that it was not the first attempt to commit sexual assault (Sinozich et al.: National Sexual Violence Resource Center).
Several strategies have been put in place over the years to prevent or entirely avert sexual assault within colleges.
· The federal government has played a crucial role in setting out policies and strategies to prevent sexual assault in colleges (Sinozich et al.). Some of the most prominent have been instituted in the last decade (Mirghassemi et al.).
· Major emphasis has been on the perpetrators, and how to help them protect their female counterparts. An example of these strategies is the use of male violence prevention educators (VPEs) (Michaels) to teach male college students on how to prevent sexual assault.
In the American society, even though there is a universal acknowledgment of the problem of sexual assault among females, the same cannot be said on the prevention strategies.
· Opinion mainly diverges on the policies and strategies that are instituted to prevent sexual assault (Mirghassemi et al.).
· Several states have not ratified the Title IX sexual assault prevention strategies.
What this means to me
Actually, I have learned a lot during this research. First, the research took a little longer than I anticipated. I thought I would be done within three days, but it ended up taking a whole week to gather the information required. This has led to practical knowledge and experience on how to plan my time, and how to prioritize. I learned the need to place an appointment in time when I want to interview someone. Even though the professor and the Dean of Students were kind enough to grant me audience, they were keen to point out that it was only because it was a classroom-related assignment. I learned the need to and how to organize one's thoughts before the beginning of research, and on writing. This project gave me an opportunity to learn more about using the resources available in the university library, and the various features in the online databases, e.g. the browse topics features. In addition, I got to learn valuable information on the study topic.
After the research, I came to the conclusion that sexual assault among college females is still a significant problem. The number of college females that have experienced sexual assault in one form or another remains high. This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that, only a small percentage of those who experience sexual assault and other forms of gender-based abuse are willing to come out, report, and seek professional help. Several strategies have been adopted in an effort to prevent sexual assault. These are mainly in the form of policies at the federal level and services available to the victims of sexual assault. Lastly, I concluded that college males are receptive to the various strategies to prevent sexual abuse, but still, there continues to be some resistance. Adherence to these prevention strategies is limited; therefore, there still is a need for more practical preventive measures to avert the scourge of sexual abuse among college females.


Annotated works cited
National Sexual Violence Resource Center, “Statistics about sexual violence.” (n.d), 1318-1334. Web.
This article represents figures and statistics on the issue of sexual abuse not just in the colleges, but in the American society in general. Based on the numbers provided in this paper, the problem of sexual assault is still prevalent and it is in various forms including rape, gender-based violence, and non-consensual sex among partners. The paper also explores sexual assault in children and the number of criminal reports made on sexual assault. Additionally, the paper compares sexual assault between gender and sexual orientations.
Sinozich, Sofi, and Lynn Langton. Rape and sexual assault victimization among college-age females, 1995-2013. US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2014. Web.
This survey report describes and compares attributes of victimization, offender characteristics, and characteristics of both student and nonstudent female victims of sexual assault. The researcher found that sexual abuse is higher among nonstudent females, and for both student and nonstudents, the offender was known to the victim. For the majority of sexual assault cases, it happened when the victim was pursuing leisure. Victimization of the victim was more likely in student victims than in nonstudents and for students, they were more likely to not report the assault on the account that it was not important enough to warrant reporting.
Stoner, Julie E., and Robert J. Cramer. "Sexual Violence Victimization Among College Females: A Systematic Review of Rates, Barriers, and Facilitators of Health Service Utilization on Campus." Trauma, Violence, & Abuse (2017): 1524838017721245. Web.
This systematic review addresses three objectives (1) determine frequency and characteristics moderating the use of the university-based resource for sexually assaulted, (2) establish inconsistencies and gaps in the literature, and (3) provide steps for clinical care personnel. The researchers reviewed 22 articles and concluded that despite sexual limitation being high, service utilization was low. Facilitators identified include acknowledgment of sexual assault as a crime, encouragement from people, and providing a response in the initial phase of the disclosure. Measurement of victimization across studies was inconsistent.
Wallace, Kelly. "23% of Women Report Sexual Assault in College, Study Finds. CNN, September 24." (2015). Web.
This news article reviews the status of sexual assault and compares the findings of recent research findings. The author argues that findings are consistent with the various researchers. Secondly, the article reviews the common forms of sexual assault and argues that unwanted sexual contact is the most common. Lastly, the author explores why most women are scared of coming forward after they have been assaulted sexually and argues that most of those who don’t come out consider it not a crime enough to warrant reporting.
Michaels, Stephanie. "Where the men are: Male violence prevention educators'(VPEs') perspectives on engaging men through campus sexual assault programming." (2017). Web.
This paper explores the problem of sexual violence in colleges and universities and the strategies that have been adopted to prevent it. The paper explores the primary prevention programs used to bring men onboard through bystander interventions. The authors argue that this program has been sound effective and interviews make violence prevention educators. Infusion of understanding and empathy into the program is one strategy identified for bringing men onboard as collaborators. The authors also discuss the use of counseling psychology approaches e.g. motivational interviewing, gender role conflict, etc.
Mirghassemi, Felicia L., et al. "Ramifications of Title IX on Campus Sexual Assault Prevention and Treatment Protocol: Will Recent Changes Work to Protect College Students?" Campus Action Against Sexual Assault: Needs, Policies, Procedures, and Training Programs: Needs, Policies, Procedures, and Training Programs (2016): 163. Web.
This paper is a review of the effects of the Title IX campus sexual assault prevention and treatment protocol. The paper explores the psychological aspects of sexual assault in colleges and its effects on the physical health, career, emotions, and self-concept. The paper integrates perspectives which are absent in other resources e.g. social science, legal, and human resource management. Finally, the authors provide recommendations on how to prevent sexual assault and procedures to be used in investigating sexual assault claims.