Back on Halloween, many awoke thinking about the possibilities of candy and costumes. Unfortunately, the NYU campus was alerted on that same morning about an awful attack that occurred at the Catholic Center around 5:30am. A 24 year-old woman was brutally beaten and raped by an unknown assailant. Cops swarmed the NYU campus, and a memorandum was sent out to the student body urging everyone to be safe.
According the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network, about every 2 minutes someone is sexually assaulted; and about 60% of rapes never are reported. So when a case does come to the attention of a community, we must do everything in our power to address the crime and bring the rapist to justice. Therefore, it is terrifying to know that a rape has occurred on campus; but even worse to not acknowledge that rape. In NYU’s formal memorandum, the word rape was not mentioned, nor was the recognition of a sexual assault actually occurring (bearing in mind that both are different according to the Bureau of Justice Statistic). Public Safety chose to depict the incident as “a robbery and attempted sexual [assault].”
The disacknowledgement of rape is not a surprise for NYU students. In the past there was an online petition created by the NYU Feminist Society to form a Rape Crisis Center. Thankfully, there is a victory with a new website to address that issue. Yet, some students fear a website is not enough. Students were forced to learn through media sources about what exactly occurred on their own campus, instead from the very campus they pay to protect them.
And protected some did feel when police surrounded the area. But unless you had known about the attack, you would have assumed it was because of the Halloween Parade happening just two blocks away. Around 8pm, the CBS New York van was the only clue that an incident had occurred only hours before.
Remember, no one asks to be raped; and keeping quiet can be harmful.
We send many positive thoughts to the victim, and if anyone knows anything that may help in the case, please contact NYPD. As for any victim who needs help, please know that there is a safe place for you. Seek medical attention right away and know it is not your fault. There are people who want to help you.