Log In


Reset Password
Columnists View from the Center Bear Smart The Travel Troubleshooter Dear Abby Student Aide Of Sound Mind Others Say Powerful solutions You are What You Eat Out Standing in the Fields What's up in Durango Skies Watch Yore Topknot Local First RE-4 Education Update MECC Cares for kids

Ending sexual assault

Excusing bad behavior and blaming the victim is part of ‘rape culture’

April is sexual assault awareness month. It is an important time to reflect on the current state of sexual assault awareness, or lack of awareness, and try to shed a little light on this problem.

Sexual assault is widespread, pervasive and underreported. Studies show that more than 1 in 5 women have been the victim of rape or attempted rape during their lifetime, and that each year, there is an average of 293,000 victims of sexual assault. College-age females are the most vulnerable; females between 18 to 24 have the highest rates of sexual assault compared to other age groups, and 20 to 25 percent of female college students will be victims of rape or attempted rape. College students are also the most unwilling to report the crimes, with 80 percent of female college students who had been raped choosing to not report to police, compared to 68 percent of total sexual assaults not being reported to law enforcement.

Why is rape so underreported, and what can we do to change it? The reasons most often given by victims who choose not to report are that they consider it to be a personal matter, that they do not want to face potential reprisals or that they want to protect the perpetrator.

As a prosecutor, I can speak firsthand to the incredible strength and courage it takes to report and pursue a sexual assault charge. And, while it is not easy, it can be one of the most powerful steps survivors can take to both reclaim control over their lives and toward making sure it doesn’t happen to anyone else. Victims have the right in Colorado to control how far the case goes, including whether the report is anonymous, whether to receive a medical exam at no cost and whether to participate in the criminal justice system.

Even just reporting it to a trusted friend or loved one is incredibly important; the act of saying it out loud and acknowledging that it happened can be the first step toward healing. We need to encourage victims to report what happened to them by providing a safe harbor for them to come forward and giving them support and strength when they need it most.

The difficulties associated with reporting a sexual assault represent an example of “rape culture.” Rape culture is the concept that our society normalizes and encourages the behaviors and attitudes that lead to sexual assault, excusing those who engage in such behaviors and attitudes and puts the blame on the victims of the crime. The idea that we would blame a victim for being sexually assaulted is abhorrent to us in the abstract, but it happens all the time. We think to ourselves “She put herself in that dangerous situation – I would never do that” or “She flirted with him and led him on and then wanted to stop? What’s a guy to do?” These attitudes and beliefs – that the victim has somehow invited a sexual assault and is even partly to blame for it – constitute rape culture.

But this is totally backwards. Just as you wouldn’t blame a drunken robbery victim for being robbed, we shouldn’t blame a woman for being drunk when she is sexually assaulted or for how she got there. Instead, we need to expect more from our men and women, holding them to a standard of respect and integrity.

One of the most important things we can do as a community to prevent sexual assault is to recognize and fight against this rape culture. We need to teach our children that the burden should be on men and women to get a clear “yes” from their partner when engaging sexually. We cannot put the burden on women to say “no.” In rape culture, men are taught to ignore or misinterpret the verbal and nonverbal cues as if it is all consent, i.e., that there are different kinds of “no,” and that if you just keep trying, maybe the “no” will become a “yes,” or when she stops resisting she wants the unwanted sex. The problem with this attitude is that even a well-intentioned man may misinterpret the verbal and nonverbal cues a woman is giving, and while he may think he has he consent to proceed, he does not. Teaching us all to get an enthusiastic “yes” of consent before proceeding sexually cleans this up, protects the woman and man from unwanted sexual contact – and from being charged under the law.

We must change our attitudes about sexual behavior and educate ourselves to recognize the messages of the “rape culture” that surrounds us. We can no longer allow this issue to remain in the dark, underreported and ignored. There are too many lives shattered by this horrible crime already.

Christian B. Champagne is the assistant district attorney with the 6th Judicial District and prosecutes most of the district’s sexual assault cases. Reach him at christian.champagne@co.laplata.co.us.



Reader Comments