First, the facts:
- Every two minutes, somewhere in America, someone is sexually assaulted. (RAINN.org, calculation based on 2000 National Crime Victimization Survey. Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice)
- Approximately 2/3 of rapes are committed by someone known to the victim. (RAINN.org)
- 99% of people who rape are men, 60% are Caucasian. (Greenfeld, L. A. Sex Offenses and Offenders: An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault, Washington, D. C.: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1997.)
- 18.3 % of women in the United States have survived a completed or attempted rape. Of these, 12.3% were younger than age 12 when they were first raped, and 29.9% were between the ages of 11 and 17. (National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey 2010)
- A survey of high school students found that one in five had experienced forced sex (rape). Half of these girls told no one about the incident. A majority of boys (60%) found it acceptable in one or more situations for a boy to force sex on a girl. (Davis, T. C, G. Q. Peck, and J. M. Storment. "Acquantaince Rape and the High School Student." Journal of Adolescent Health 14 (1993): 220-24.)
- Many times women or men who have been date raped or acquaintance raped do not view the assault as a rape. They may experience some or all of the symptoms of rape trauma stemming from the violation of the body and the betrayal of a friend, but still may not consider the incident rape. (University At Buffalo Counciling Services, Date & Aquaintance Rape: An Overview, http://ub-counseling.buffalo.edu/violenceoverview.shtml)
Looking at these facts, it is clear that we have a problem in this country, and that problem is a social misunderstanding of what rape is, what consent is, and a societal perpetuation of victim-blaming rape culture by parents, peers, judges, and mass media.
Rape prevention campaigns have largely focused on women protecting themselves; It is time to teach men and social peers to start doing their part in preventing rape as well.
According to research conducted in a high-school setting, "student attitudes, particularly those of males, may provide an important focus of preventive sex education in the physician's office, the classroom, and the community." (Davis, T. C, G. Q. Peck, and J. M. Storment. "Acquantaince Rape and the High School Student." Journal of Adolescent Health 14 (1993): 220-24.)
The best investment we can make to prevent rape and sexual violence among high school students is in educating youth about what consent truly is, how to combat rape culture, and to teach young boys NOT to rape. Let us never again have to watch as 16 year olds recieve a highly publicized crash course in something they should have been taught long ago by members of their community.
Coursework that teaches what consent is, men's role in fighting male violence, and on creating healthy masculinity in peer groups already exists as modled by multiple organizations that have created trainings in this arena. It is these leaders in violence prevention that should be looked to in the creation of these programs. Rather than have such trainings be few and far between, now is the time to draft legislation that requires public school sex education to include how to recognize and combat rape culture. Such materials MUST become a required aspect of sex education, accross the nation, if we are to turn the tides of sexual assault and rape in this country.
Please draft legislation in order to ammend this public health problem, NOW, by including sex education that teaches youth to recognize rape, to be an ally to peers dealing with sexual assault, and to be able to accurately define and establish consent in sexual activities.
Thank you.