By : Sexual assault, especially rape, is an epidemic–barbaric, damaging to mind, body and soul, and intolerable. The time has come to take bold action to stop it. If fresh thinking and a systematic approach can eliminate various diseases and improve the quality of our lives, then it is not unreasonable to think it can be applied here. Along with better education–which Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai once suggested is “a solution to all problems”–it is conceivable that this threat can be eliminated.Before discussing what needs to be done, it is necessary to understand how a gendered lens has influenced and, unfortunately, distorted perspectives. For most people, the word “rape” conjures up imagery of a helpless young female being held down and forcefully penetrated by a male assailant, a brutal and often bloody act, provoking empathy for the victim and disgust for the attacker. This perspective has been reinforced by the media and the arts, as well as by those who might be characterized as rape culture enthusiasts.
Generally speaking, the sociology of sexual assault has been under the purview of feminists, long regarded as the decisive scholars and dominant voices on the subject, since the 1970s.
They have concluded that the so-called rape culture is strongly correlated with other anti-female social factors, including sexism and misogyny, fueled largely by white male heterosexual patriarchy. Over the course of several decades, their ideas have become increasingly mainstream.
But this stereotype is lacking. It does not take account of the broad array of unacceptable and illegal behavior toward others. Only by broadening our understanding and looking beyond the gendered lens can we ensure that progress is made toward finding a viable solution.
Campus Assault
Studies have revealed that one out of every four women attending institutions of higher learning will experience sexual assault during their college careers. Transgressions range from overtly violent acts to hostile words and actions, including unwanted touching, kissing or other interactions where permission has not been explicitly granted or which have not otherwise been authorized by the person being targeted.
Off campus, anecdotal and other reports suggest that many victims are not being afforded adequate legal, physical, emotional and psychological support. Across the country, many police departments do not appear to be giving the issue the gravity it deserves. Aside from the fact that millions of women are reluctant to come from the shadows and discuss their plight, there are reportedly hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits gathering dust on the back shelves of precincts and judicial facilities.
Rape Culture Successes
That does not mean that the issue is being ignored, however. Arguably, the word “rape” has become a feminist mantra and popular talking point, as well as a tool for gaining financial, political and social influence. In this regard, the movement against rape and sexual assault have had some incredible results.
Because of well-funded lobbying efforts, governments have initiated or strengthened consent laws and provided increased funding for campus volunteer judicial systems, aimed primarily at addressing the problem of sexual assaults. The Violence Against Women Act pays approximately $1 billion annually to organizations that raise awareness of rape or provide services to victims. The United Kingdom and U.S. have, between them, more than 8,000 rape crisis centers for women.
Also, governments are doling out grants to writers who file bureaucratic paperwork ostensibly aimed at creating a safer environment for women. Meanwhile, a steady stream of donations is solicited from an empathetic public, while designated scholars on the topic and survivors of assault are paid to speak at events where books and other materials are sold. In sum, rape and sexual assault have become a big business.
Acknowledge What Is
There is nothing inherently wrong with this. However, those who are making lots of noise about the growing problem of sexual assault do not seem to be looking at it in broad terms or working to create sustainable and far-reaching solutions. In large part, that is because the issue is continually being presented through a gendered lens. As “Doctor Phil” McGraw has reminded us, “We cannot change things that we do not acknowledge.” Working together and incorporating a more inclusive–and ultimately more accurate–assessment of the facts surrounding this heinous act can lead to genuine solutions.
Same Sexed Sexual Violence
Research indicates that the stereotype about rape and sexual assault is not consistent with reality. Among other things, 44% of women in same-sex relationships have been attacked by partners. In fact, a survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control found that the assailant was female in two-thirds of instances where lesbians had been raped, physically abused or stalked by an intimate partner. Moreover, while it has been estimated that 18% of women will be victimized during their lives, the rate of gay male assaults is a not inconsiderable 10%. Arguably, one reason why attacks by heterosexual males have taken center stage is that their relative population size is significantly larger than that of the LGBTQ community.
Woman on Young Male Sexual Violence
Other data also suggests that the way in which the issue is being framed by feminists has been at the expense of other victims, including boys and young men, many of whom fear coming out the shadows because of gender biases and stereotypes. According to a study published in the journal Psychology of Men and Masculinity and highlighted by Jezebel, 43% of high school boys and young college men said they had an unwanted sexual experience, with 95% reporting “a female acquaintance was the aggressor.” This is not something that anti-rape advocates seem to be talking about.
Female Teachers and Teen Boys
Also, because the issue of predatory females has, for the most part, been ignored or dismissed, it has allowed what might once have been a small problem to fester into a serious malady that is causing a great deal of harm. Some evidence of just how bad the situation has become can be found in an article at WND, which focuses on more than four hundred female teachers who were caught assaulting teenage male students as young as 12 years old. Unfortunately, because sexual assault has been defined very narrowly, it appears that the needs of many tragic victims are not being met.
Serial Rapists and Non-Serial Rapists
The argument that rape is essentially a heterosexual male problem is also misguided. Studies involving brain scans of serial rapists have found, for example, that they have no remorse and have often had alcoholism and extensive criminality problems. Many have been diagnosed as psychopaths. The latest research by behavioral psychology suggests that only a small minority of (male) rapists are sexual renegades driven by sadistic fantasies or a hatred of women. In other words, it appears that a gendered lens framework has served to obfuscate, rather than clarify.
The Role of Patriarchy and Heterosexual White Men
Some feminists argue that rape and sexual assault are byproducts of Western patriarchy. However, this social framework is widespread around the world, and there does not seem to be any forensic or behavioral psychology theories that validate the connection. Certainly, patriarchy can be oppressive, especially to females, but it also affords them certain benefits, including ensuring they have specialized legal protections, advanced creature comforts, and a healthcare system that delivers more services to them than males.
The Masculine and Feminine Binary
There are other reasons why defining rape and sexual assault in gender terms is likely a mistake. Dr. Ann Fausto-Sterling, a professor of biology and medicine at Brown University and author of Myths Of Gender: Biological Theories About Women And Men, along with other gender scholars, maintain that gender is fluid and that there are minimal differences between the two sexes. Our behavior will vary between the feminine and the masculine based on situational and emotional states. More specifically, all of us are capable of exhibiting aggressive sexual behavior in certain settings. If so, then the argument that this is a male problem is specious.
Conclusion
No matter, to achieve real breakthroughs in identifying and solving this, we need really to understand the levers and motives behind such heinous acts, regardless of the gender and sexual orientation of the victims or the victimizers. Sexual assault, however, it is perpetuated, is damaging, violent, aggressive and intolerable. But it is not a women’s or men’s issue or one that is liberal or conservative. It is gender-neutral, affecting individuals across an array of classes, nationalities, and races. In other words, it is a human issue.
Working and helping others to see it this way will be an important step forward. By exploring the issue with an open mind–and without shackling it within the confines of gender-based ideology– we can uncover real answers to hard questions. The fields of psychology and behavioral science would seem to offer fertile ground for finding the keys that unlock the dynamic that fosters such dangerous urges. Uniting people and increasing funding into such efforts can yield positive results.
So, too, can improved education. We should be taking pains to help others, especially parents and others in authority, to understand the nature of the problem and provide appropriate guidance and guideline on how it can be dealt with and what efforts should be made. By doing so, we can spare millions of innocent people, male or female, from the scars of sexual assault.
No comments:
Post a Comment