the majority of sexual assaults are committed by strangers.

Tulane University professor Sally Kenney isn’t surprised by that. Even when penetration was involved, only 37% of the women the study classified as rape victims believed that what happened to them was rape. In a survey of college students by the National Institute of Justice, 14% of women said someone had sexual contact with them when they were passed out or too drunk to be able to stop or provide consent.īut three-quarters of those women did not consider that rape or assault. It seems that young men aren’t the only ones with a problem distinguishing between rape and sex. In fact, addressing that reality may be a necessary first step toward making a dent in a problem that is broader than assault reports suggest. The majority of campus sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows, and involve overuse of alcohol or drugs.Īcknowledging that isn’t blaming the victim or sanctioning rape. We’re not talking about strangers jumping out of bushes. Rampant binge-drinking, a hookup culture and a lack of clear standards and support have allowed some men to feel entitled to sex and left some women uncertain about protecting themselves.

There are social norms in play that colleges can’t avoid and the task force shouldn’t ignore. That task force’s report, released last week, says universities need to do a better job of investigating and reporting assaults, supporting victims, disciplining students found guilty of sexual misconduct, and conducting prevention campaigns that enlist male students to intervene when a female classmate is in a threatening situation.

The majority of sexual assaults are committed by strangers.