Rape, similar to murder and assault, is one of society’s most heinous crimes. On one hand, we are taught that, in theory, it is something punishable by law, and perpetrators will face harsh imprisonment. However, in practice, rape cases tend to not play out the way we were taught to believe. In our society, there is a rape culture we need to address to protect everyone’s safety.
Unfortunately, rape iscommon, especially on college campuses, yet our culture discourages sexual assault victims from reporting their incidents to authorities. In fact, only 15.8 to 35 percent of sexual assault incidents are reported to police, according to the Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault. The survivors are fearful the authorities would not take their reports seriously, citing the culture of victim blaming. In The Hunting Ground, a documentary produced by CNN, victims mentioned that police departments do not consider rape cases a priority.
One of the fears that keeps victims from reporting their incidents stems from victim blaming, or placing the blame of a crime toward the victim instead of the perpetrator. For instance, it is believed that if a person does not go to bars, they will not be raped. In reality, we should only place blameon those who commit the crime. Based on the current culture, rapists count on not being held accountable for their actions and continue to rape, as the majority of rapists are serial offenders.
In addition to victim blaming, the myth of false accusation perpetuates the culture of victim blaming. Many people believe that false rape accusations are common. But with many rape cases uninvestigated, it is unknown the true percentage of false reports. False rape allegations can happen — former Duke University student Crystal Mangum falsely accused three lacrosse players of rape. But according to scholars, false accusations are uncommon. Only 2-8 percent of rape cases reported are classified as false, and our culture tends to discredit and ridicule rape victims instead of rapists. People like Mangum perpetuate the myth of false accusation and prevent survivors from bringing their cases to light.
It is likely that rapists are not brought to justice, as the chance of prosecution for the few rape cases reported is dismal. Rapists realize the truth about our society and take full advantage of rape culture. It is haunting for me to know that only 3 percent of the accused are sentenced with more than one day of jail time. It is ultimately on us to push for policy changes and cultural shifts to end rape culture and seek justice for victims.
Kevin Yau is a 21-year-old sociology senior from New Orleans, Louisiana.