GCSU rape statistics lower than study results
One in five college women will be sexually assaulted or raped by the time she graduates according to a recent study funded by the Department of Justice and conducted by The Center for Public Integrity. The statistic comes following a 12-month investigation by the CPI, and brings to light a serious problem of sexual assaults and rapes being drastically under reported on college campuses nationwide.
Within the past three years, three reported rapes and four sexual offenses, forcible and non-forcible were reported on the GCSU Milledgeville campus. With almost 4,000 women attending GCSU each year, the percentage of sexual attacks are extremely low compared to the 20 percent average reported by the CPI.
According to Detective Robert Butler, the discrepancy between the two statistics is most likely attributed to sexual assaults going unreported.
“I have no doubt there are a lot of things that go unreported whether it’s due to alcohol or not,” Butler said. “Sometimes the female might be under the use of alcohol or drugs and might be afraid of being arrested.”
Reasons for not reporting rape or other sexual offenses can vary from denial, fear to a general lack of knowledge as to how to report an attack.
When an individual is sexually assaulted or raped, there are three options to report the incident. Individuals can go to the Milledgeville Police Department, located at 125 W. McIntosh St., GCSU Public Safety, at 231 W. Hancock St., the Women’s Resource Center, in 143 Maxwell Student Union or Counseling Services in 132 Lanier Hall.
“They don’t have to go to law enforcement to report it, ultimately, if they want to pursue it as a legal thing eventually it will have to get to either the Milledgeville Police Department or (Public Safety), but they don’t have to start there,” said Director of Public Safety Dave Groseclose. “The whole point of that is to make it as easy as possible for a victim to start the process. If they feel more comfortable going to a counselor to report it, that’s perfectly legitimate.”
The Women’s Resource Center, in its fifth year at GCSU, encourages victims to come forward and report these crimes.
“I’m going to be an advocate for them,” said Women’s Resource Center Coordinator Jennifer Graham. “I’m going to listen to them and support them in every way I can.”
Another problem with college campus statistics is the definitions between non-forcible sexual assaults, forcible sexual assaults and rape.
According to Butler, every single case is different, which makes it hard to accurately report specific statistics. In the state of Georgia, anytime a female says “no” and intercourse takes place, it’s considered forcible. The majority of the instances involve alcohol and an acquaintance, rarely a stranger.
“Our school has been recognized as one of the safest campuses in the United States,” Groseclose said. “I consider us to be very lucky, but I think it also has something to do with the caliber of our students.”
Though GCSU sexual assault statistics remain low in comparison to the national numbers, it could be due to unreported crimes.
“Under reporting isn’t just a problem on our campus, it’s a problem nationwide,” Graham said.
Posted by Lissa Speer
on Mar 5 2010. Filed under News.
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