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Hidden within the Department of Education’s Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2013 is this disturbing fact:

The number of reported forcible sex crimes on campus reported increased by 52 percent, from 2,200 in 2001 to 3,300 in 2011.

This is despite a decrease in the reporting of all other types of crimes, including theft, on college campuses in the same time period.

At first look, this statistic is rather scary. Yes we know that college women are at the highest risk for sexual assault. Seeing the exact change over time somehow makes this threat feel even more real.

That being said, there is an alternate way of looking at this data. This statistic deals only with the number of sexual assaults that are reported. Therefore, it could be interpreted that more people are coming forward to report the crimes committed against them and share their stories. Such an increase, then, would be a hugely positive step. The more survivors speak up, the more speaking up is normalized. In other words, every survivor who reports their assault contributes to a culture in which it is normal to tell authorities about the event. For something that continues to be highly stigmatized, such a shift would be, quite frankly, a very good thing.

Yet in this case, there is a third side to the story. Colleges and universities are still struggling to determine how to best respond to such events. Every week it feels another institution is under review for their handling of a sexual assault case. The institutions haven’t caught up with the increased reporting. There are a million things working against them: hookup culture, bureaucracy, rape culture, inefficient legal systems, fear of a negative reputation, etc. While all of these are valid concerns, the current system clearly is not working. Victims often do not feel their needs were met or their situations given the appropriate amount of respect.

Ultimately one has to wonder how this number will change over the next ten years or so. Will normalizing reporting be enough to break the taboo surrounding sexual assault? Will institutions’ lack of or inappropriate response to these crimes cause victims to put the kibosh on speaking up? The critical question is whether college administrators will see these crime numbers for what they are: both hard evidence that assaults are happening—and frequently—on their campuses, and a call to action to address the problem appropriately.

Other Sexual Health News This Week

Hassan Signs Abortion Buffer Zone Law (Washington Times)

Legal Confusion Follows Federal Judge’s Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage in Wisconsin (New York Times)

Health Department Proposes First-Ever Youth Sexual Health Plan (The Legislative Gazette)

Tefina NOSE Gel Claims to Boost Number of Orgasms a Woman Can Have (Mail Online)

Parents in two California school districts felt their children’s sex ed lesson went too far. In San Marcos, students were asked to disclose what they had done sexually. Additionally, students in San Diego were shown graphic photos including one of a man with blood on his face and the caption “A real man loves his woman every day of the month.”

There are Actually Trade-Offs Involved in Addressing Sexual Assaults in College (The Washington Post)

Supreme Judicial Court Orders an End to Lifetime Parole Supervision for Sex Offenders (The Boston Globe)

Important Dates

The following conferences are taking place in June. Click on each title for more information and to register.

13th Annual Philadelphia Trans Health Conference, Philadelphia, PA, June 12-14. Stop by the Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health’s Table to meet Megan Andelloux.

Breaking Through Barriers, Ohio’s statewide sexual and intimate partner violence conference, June 25-26, 2014. Dublin, OH