COLUMN: Let survivors have a choice
Managing Editor | Sydney Smith
A woman you know has been sexually assaulted.
But you probably don't know that, because she more than likely hasn't reported it.
In a recent survey of 27 college campuses across the country, it was found that more than one in 10 undergraduate women say they were victims of nonconsensual penetration. Of these women, about 70 percent did not report the incidents.
When they were asked on the survey why they didn't report, these women said they didn't think the incident was serious enough. They also cited shame, emotional difficulty or the belief that nothing would be done about it.
This information should appall you, but from where I'm standing, I can clearly see why women wouldn't report.
Imagine being victimized. Imagine being stripped of your humanity and autonomy, in what was probably the most traumatic situation of your life. And then imagine going to the police and having to explain it in pain-staking detail to multiple people who you don't know, only to have them ask you why you were in that situation in the first place.
It could be a re-victimizing process.
At Central Michigan University, the university doesn't have to notify the police if a sexual assault is reported. A victim doesn't have to go through with any kind of investigation if she doesn't wish to. This is a good thing--control is being handed back to a person who may feel like they're spinning out of it.
But this level of control could change, as a Michigan bill is being cheered on by Republican men who believe universities are overstepping their bounds and punishing innocent students. If passed, the bill would drastically change the procedures of sexual misconduct investigations at CMU and other public universities. The police would have to be notified before the university launches an internal investigation. If police weren't notified, the university couldn't act.
This is a problem.
In high school, one of my classmates told me she had been sexually assaulted. Since then, I can't keep track of how many women I've heard this from. Not one woman I know has reported her assault to the police. Why? Most of the times I've asked, it's because she doesn't want to ruin the life of the person who assaulted her--she just wants him to stay far away.
It's reassuring to know that at CMU, the university will take measures during an investigation to make sure victims are less likely to run into the person who assaulted them. Officials can rearrange class schedules, or relocate a perpetrator if he lives on campus near his victim. If this bill is passed, these measures could no longer be taken unless the victim goes to the police.
Universities must be able to retain the ability to investigate a victims' claim of sexual misconduct. Forcing victims to go to the police if they'd like to feel safe on campus would result in lower numbers of reports.
A lower number of reports, however, isn't always a good thing. While it could mean that sexual assault is actually occurring less, it could also mean that less people feel comfortable enough to share their stories. It's most likely the latter, but universities could give themselves a public relations pat on the back for the former.
It's my belief that the solution lies in the voices of survivors. For too long, people who have no experience with sexual assault--or even the will to listen to someone who does--have tried to make policies that affect those that matter most in these situations.
A woman you know has been sexually assaulted. It's time to give her her voice back.
