“She should have had more common sense than to do that.”
“Why would she put herself in that position in the first place?”
“It’s pretty much her fault.”
For the past few weeks, a slew of these reactions has been blowing up social media regarding cases of assault and invasion of privacy in which women are the first to be blamed. Four alleged sexual assault attempts have occurred in the past two weeks alone at UF, three of which are possibly related. Higher institutions across the nation are coming under fire for mishandling rape accusations. People are sharing stars’ stolen photos and blaming female celebrities for taking them in the first place. Just look at these comments on Facebook in reaction to a Columbia University student taking a stand against her alleged rapist.
… or CeeLo Green’s now infamous tweets…
I have to admit that in the past, my initial reaction to similar incidents might have been, “How can people not know better than to guard themselves against this messed up world?” But then it happens here, where a student is attacked near the library at 3 a.m.… the very same library that houses my frequent all-nighters and late-night coffee binges.
As it turns out, we are psychologically wired to blame the victims for these invasions of body and property because they prove to us that the world isn’t as fair, as just or as safe as we want it to be. And though I don’t think the word “victim” has the best connotation, I will use it here for the purposes of clarity.
Nikki Steinberger (@nsteinberger), a second-year graduate student in the student personnel in higher education program, holds a banner for her No Gator Walks Alone event on campus where students pledged to travel in groups in light of recent assault cases. “This is just a little piece of what our community can do, but this is a first step,” she said.
I would be remiss to say all survivors of assault are women. One in 10 are men, according to GatorWell Health Promotion Services. But that leaves a whopping 90 percent of cases in which females are the targets, and these statistics simply can’t be ignored.
Why are we guilty of shaming our fellow women versus the perpetrators themselves? Are we merely pawns in their game who have to constantly be alert, mind what we wear and know what times to just stay home? Should it be ingrained in us that every man is a potential threat?
No. Not only does this label all men as “possible criminals,” but it also places the burden on women to do x, y and z in order to avoid being violated. We cannot let these shameless acts become normalized to the point of acceptance. The short-term solution is to take control of our safety. The long-term solution is more complicated: We must ensure people like the Gainesville suspect(s) are held accountable for their actions and that society stops pointing fingers and instead starts taking action.
Tina Tannen (left), licensed mental health counselor at the UF’s Counseling and Wellness Center, stands with fellow colleague Joan Scully, substance abuse coordinator. “The use of power, the use of force and aggression, those are the issues… not just whether people walk alone,” Tannen said.
I’m no expert; I’m just a student who wants to walk to class without constantly having to look over her shoulder, but I’ve thought of some ways we can confront these concerns:
1. Educate everyone about mutual respect and consent Think about this: In a recent New York Times article, Gloria Steinem posed the following scenario: “Imagine that a man breaks into your home while you sleep off a night of drunken revelry, and robs you blind. Did your drinking imply consent?”
These topics need to be addressed with greater depth and sensitivity than just a slideshow of dos and don’ts from your employer’s Human Resources department. Again, it’s easy to say, “They should have known better than to become inebriated past consent,” or even to dismiss rape accusations as drunken remorse. But this conveniently skirts the blame past the instigator, the one who unlawfully caused this pain in the first place. Open discussion among all genders should include what is acceptable in the tangled, hazy webs of dating and courtship, and there should be agreed-upon definitions of consent and crossing boundaries.
2. Don’t be “above” taking precautions I don’t go to the extreme as to claim we should focus solely on offenders to challenge these injustices. Having safe practices cannot be overestimated. If having a buddy system could save my life, I will gladly sacrifice some independence in exchange for my safety.
We don’t live in an ideal world… This fact has been made all too clear in the past few weeks. All students should be mindful of their surroundings and utilize resources like TapShield, SNAP, self-defense training and the buddy system (all sentiments echoed by UF President Bernie Machen, UPD and UF Student Body President Cory Yeffet). “Walking home alone at night is not a safe practice for anyone,” Yeffet said.
However, when I see and hear comments criticizing women’s clothing, appearances and personal photos, that is where I draw the line. A “provocative” appearance should never be mistaken for an invitation to be treated like an object. To say that a woman was “asking for it” is to reduce her to nothing but torn pieces of fabric. Decisions about what a woman chooses to show and not show the world should be respected. Period.
3. Have proper justice and rehabilitation for offenders at the federal level We still live in a day and age where archaic laws and holes in our legal system convey a subtle message: Assaulters are in the wrong, but we let them off easy. Just consider Ray Rice, now-former running back for the Baltimore Ravens. Though Rice was shown on tape allegedly dragging his fiancée’s unconscious body, the NFL took five whole months to address the issue, even though he’d already faced charges. And when football season returned, his first “punishment” was a two-game suspension (compared to other NFL players suspended for a whole season for marijuana possession). Even female sex offenders are let off easy in the justice system, oftentimes easier than their male counterparts (though fewer incidents of female offenders occur).
Offering rehabilitation and counseling on a case-by-case basis, particularly for those who are mentally ill, is just as important as making sure culprits pay for their actions. The main point, however, is to identify the warning signs in people who commit these crimes and make sure they’re removed from the public.
4. Don’t dismiss cases of rape and assault as cries for attention A pressing, related issue is the handling (or rather, mishandling) of rape cases at the university level. According to Title IX, part of the Education Amendments of 1972, any school institution receiving federal funding must handle these cases through the school.
Is it truly objective for a university, whose main concerns may include loss of money and negative publicity, to be handling these accusations within the system? Investigations should be conducted by a third-party police force not affiliated with the campus when rape allegations surface… And maybe, just maybe, reported misconduct of college campuses across the nation will start to be taken seriously.
5. As a society, stop demoralizing the victims
“No one ever asks to be raped. No one ever asks to be assaulted. No one asks for their pictures to be leaked,” said Jeffrey Pierre, a fourth-year philosophy student.
If the victim has a spot on his or her record, it becomes an excuse for us to think the person deserved what they got (see The Washington Post article on the burden of being a perfect victim).
Perhaps I’ve presented more questions than answers. But in the midst of tragedy, placing responsibility on any one side will get us nowhere. Yet blaming the victim will certainly set us back.
Young or old, man or woman, black or white, short shorts or snow pants, 11 a.m. or 11 p.m. — these details shouldn’t matter when it comes to acts of senseless brutality. Until these issues are properly dealt with, I may walk with anxiety knowing my sense of security has been shattered. But I refuse to fall prey to aggressive scare tactics. I will stand up, I will be smart, and I will not judge my fellow collegiettes™ for simply living their lives.