You're totally right, it sounds like your school's rape-awareness campaign is really inappropriate and inconsiderate of survivors. I hope your letter gets a sensitive response, and I'm sorry you're having a month from hell because of what should have been a helpful thing.

Is your school's rape awareness campaign primarily geared toward women? Or are they posting rape literature and statistics geared toward men as well?

Part of the problem with these type of campaigns are their tendency to be more about telling women not to put themselves in dangerous situations...then educating men on what constitutes rape and what type of behavior/attitudes/comments promotes the idea that rape is okay.

I hope your school is at least getting some of that right.

Oh geez, what an inappropriate way of your school to handle rape awareness. I hope you get an understanding response and that they redirect their strategies for raising awareness away from fear-tactic-statistics.

So I didn't get a response to my email, but when I went to the bathroom this evening, the signs were gone.

I feel the same way about the misguided direction of this anti-rape campaign. MARS (Men against relationship and sexual violence) participates in the festivities, but the main stint of the week is plastering as many statistics around the campus and teaching us how to "stop ourselves from getting raped."

I just can't wait for october.

dude, it's RAPE. How the hell does anybody campaign for rape awareness in a sensitive way? You should at least be glad that your campus is even doing a program about rape awareness. People don't even want to talk about rape in many other places.

Thanks for this article-- I'm so sorry that you have to go through this, but I'm glad you shared with us your distaste for your campus' "Awareness" campaign. I wouldn't have thought of looking at it this way until reading this.

How do you campaign for rape awareness in a sensitive way, BTP? For one thing, you don't tell rape victims to STFU and be happy with whatever insensitive bullshit we send their way, because at least we're trying, right? Why won't those annoying bitches shut up already? Hey, be glad we're even talking about YOUR problem, just to humor you.

Did I miss any? Can we go back to being supportive, empathetic human beings now?

My problem with rape awareness (any, not just this specific case) is that it so often focuses ONLY on how women can prevent themselves from being raped, not on the underlying reasons why rape occurs.

On my campus we have signs that address non-stranger rape and are seemingly geared towards men. "Is she really saying yes or is she scared? Is her breathing faster because she's excited or scared? ASK, don't assume." Something along those lines. I really like that my school has such comprehensive programs.

Papers I have written for grad school found that most schools are like yours: just plastering rape statistics and telling women to not walk alone at night, watch their drinks, go out in groups, etc etc. It's pretty victim-blaming to constantly shove down women's throats that they can protect themselves. While I am not comdemning ALL self-care techniques to avoid rape, I do think there should be a balance where the potential perpetrators are being targeted as well.

My campus has also had some pretty stupid rape awareness campaigns-- like putting 500 happy shiny pinwheels in the grass to represent the 500 women who they estimate are raped in our town every year, or asking everyone walking into the dining halls to sign a pledge saying they won't rape anyone that weekend, etc.

Can anyone from Feministing weigh in on the 1 in 4 statistic? I read somewhere that it was based on a flawed study and that the actual statistics are closer to 1 in 9 or 1 in 10. Which are still very serious, of course, but artificially inflating statistics just makes the campaigns seem less credible.

"asking everyone walking into the dining halls to sign a pledge saying they won't rape anyone that weekend, etc."

Actually, that's quite interesting and could be effective.

Emily,

That is some bullshit and I'm sorry you have to experience it. As many others have alluded to, too often school's ideas of rape awareness revolves around telling women they are potential victims rather than approaching rape as a sensitive issue while educating men and women about what healthy relationships look like, what consensual sex is, etc. As a student at a university who is also involved in sexual assault awareness education, I would be more than willing to supply you with access to what we have done and talk about how to apply that to your campus. Just let me know.

This is a good topic that was finally brought up.

I find public restrooms to be very unsanitary, and uncomfortable, and as stated in the text,
I would also find it indeed way to graphic.

"Can anyone from Feministing weigh in on the 1 in 4 statistic? I read somewhere that it was based on a flawed study and that the actual statistics are closer to 1 in 9 or 1 in 10. Which are still very serious, of course, but artificially inflating statistics just makes the campaigns seem less credible. "

Terabithia,

While different studies use slightly different methodology and come up with slightly different statistics, /our very own national Bureau of Justice says the statistic is 1 in 6/. And they certainly don't go to the lengths some sympathetic non-profits do to include people who don't consider what happened to them a violation...

While I have supported the pattern of plastering statistics all over the place at my school, it's only a week long here, rather than a month; and it is accompanied by speeches and self-defense classes and movies and a Take Back the Night march--very woman-positive things. But I'm not sure if I could handle the statistics in September of all months (the anniversary of my experience being sexually assaulted), personally I'm glad my school does this in April and I feel your pain seeing these things. It's a fine line we walk sometimes, and often I suspect people are very zealous about something they do not completely understand.

Thanks for all the support. Its nice to know I'll always have the feministing community to support me.

StephenA...I would love some information. I actually work for the Women's Center here...the organization that runs the organization that runs Rape Awareness Month. (Did that make sense?) I would love to see my campus have a more victim-conscious/non-victim blaming and inclusive campaign.

Stephen A, I'm curious as well as to what your campus has done that has been effective and sensitive to those in recovery. I'd love to see you post that as well.

As far as the comment, "You should at least be glad that your campus is even doing a program about rape awareness"... no comment.

I agree that there are ways of doing things more effectively, and posting statistics of survivors becoming alcoholics or contemplating suicide isn't one of them. I also think it is ridiculous that women are constantly suppose to be preventing rape, yet it's rarely spun the opposite way, maybe using fear-tactics to put the assholes who rape behind bars. I empathize with you and anyone else who has to be reminded of something that horrid everyday. You are strong.

A male: I don't know. I don't think rapists care about pledges. It's kind of like a virginity pledge. Or academic honesty pledges that ignore the fact that someone who doen't care about cheating probably doesn't care about lying.

Emily: I'm sorry your school's campaign is handling this so poorly. Maybe you should sign up to help organize next year's awareness month? I know it's not your responsibility to do their work, but it sounds like you could really help people at your school by showing the organizers how to be more sensitive. :)

>While different studies use slightly different methodology and come up with slightly different statistics, /our very own national Bureau of Justice says the statistic is 1 in 6/.

That's interesting, do you have a link? And was that all women or all college aged women? I can't remember the details, but the one I saw might have been saying the claim that 1 in 4 women will be raped while in college was the innaccurate one.

As for the pledges... it strikes me pretty much like putting up signs saying "please don't murder anyone" or "please don't mug anyone," but maybe there are some borderline cases who would be affected by it. Most people I knew were offended by the implication that they would attack people if they weren't asked not to. (They were asking men and women alike, I don't know if that's better...). Its the I Want A Truce campaign, which I never really got. One time a guy I knew wore a Tshirt that said I Want A Truce and when someone asked him what it was for he said it was anti-war. When I pointed out to him that underneath it said "we want a 2 day break from sexual violence" or something like that, he said he was going to go home and change!

I think, however, that a lot of programs like that are neutral at best. I mean, how much money and manpower are they spending on these things? 500 pinwheels must cost at least $250, not counting the time spent putting them up and making signs to explain why they were there because no one would get it otherwise. Meanwhile, our rape crisis center is closed on weekends, which is ridiculous. Couldn't they spend some of these funds and volunteer hours having the crisis center be open rather than putting up weird displays that no one understands?

I am both the Events Chair of my school's FMLA (Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance) and a counselor with CASA (Coalition against Sexual Assault) and we approach our week differently. Our main event is Take back the night, and we have only minimaly advertised for this, in non-confrontational ways, like a blurb in the newsletter, written in a very empowering way. I attend a women's college, so everything is directed towards women, but we still include men in our march both as supporters and also as survivors. I'm sorry you have to go through this, and I definitely think there is a better way to handle rape awareness month/week than the way your school is.

This entry reminded me of something that I just had to share. My college has started posting these alert things on neon paper in dorms whenever there is an "incident." Now, they do it for incidents that are race- or sexual orientation-related as well, but the vast majority are sexual assaults.

These signs infuriate me. I think it's imperative that the community be informed when an act of violence takes place, but all of these flyers conclude with a warning that includes something like "Students are urged to use good judgment when drinking." Well, yes, it's good to always try to use good judgment in all situations; however, if someone assaults me, whether one or both (or neither) of us has been drinking, it is not because I failed to use "good judgment," it happened because HE ATTACKED ME. I just find it so insulting and very much in keeping with the "blame the victim, there was something more you should have done" mentality.

Well, maybe they are trying to say that guys should use good judgement when drinking and not attack people.... Yeah, I know that's a stretch.

"Students are urged to use good judgment when drinking."

I think those signs call for some action. I would make a bunch of cut-outs that fit over the last part of the sentence, changing it to "Students are advised not to rape people." And I would paste to every sign I saw.

This is a great topic. I feel like I might get some shit for this, but I've never been a big supporter of ANYTHING-awareness weeks. I believe that constant, supportive, positive education of the various important issues that affect college life are much more effective than devoting a month or week or day or whatever to them, full of graphic statistics meant to scare everyone into being good...because the awareness should be constant. Awareness of sexism, racism, classism, etc. should be part of our everyday life, not something we only have to address one month out of the year, and then in an overzealous, graphic, and as we can see, possibly harmful way.

I'm not anal about this. If my college had a rape awareness month, I wouldn't protest it, I would even support it; but I have my doubts about the overall effectiveness.

"That's interesting, do you have a link? And was that all women or all college aged women? I can't remember the details, but the one I saw might have been saying the claim that 1 in 4 women will be raped while in college was the innaccurate one. "

Terabithia,

If you wish to do research on your own (all it really takes is google search capabilities) you can find a range of different statistics from different sources on your own.

I realize from your statements on the other thread regarding rape that this may be a difficult concept for you to grasp, but, studies, like laws, are never perfect. They are made my people, they are imperfect, and there are always possible points of error. Also, different studies may define sexual assault differently, or use different wording that may influence whether or not study subjects feel they apply to them.

The 1 in 4 statistic was found by a couple of separate published studies, which are considered relatively credible. You can also find statistics with lower statistics. Some of /those/ studies have political agendas that are served by having lower statistics. Either way, the number is pretty high. You can guess it varies depending on: your location, how you define sexual assault, etc. Do you think college groups would be better served by posting the lowest possible statistic that is present in any published study? Somehow I don't think that gets at the crux of the issue...

This is definitely something I never considered on the subject.

I attend a conservative religious campus that doesn't provide any type of support for victims of assault.

I am embarking on an entire semester of hosting women's issues events with my human rights educational club and we have been planning on hosting a Take Back The Night event among other things throughout the semester.

If anyone has any ideas on events we could host or the type of language we should use which would be more sensitive to those most affected by violence against women and assault I would greatly appreciate input.

Emily,

Thank you for your post. I work in sexual violence prevention with colleges and universities. The kind of feedback you are giving is absolutely necessary for us to do better work.

I will recommend that we think about the physical space where we post information, and how it could affect survivors, before it is posted. I'm not a fan of statistics for statistcs sake, but there are times that we use statistics to raise awareness. Thanks for raising my awareness.

thanks for posting this, first of all.
as a survivor and also someone that actively works with sexual assault prevention, i often have mixed feeling about the broader campaigns of awareness i see around me. i live in a college town that has a similar campaign going on, and it's to say the least uncomfortable to walk around campus with all the giant rape letters chalked on the sidewalks.
the question is, how do we built awareness of sexual assault responsibly and effectively?

last year the rape crisis center i volunteer for tried partnering up with a fraternity to show the the documentary "NO- the rape documentary", and have a discussion. very few people showed up. that's just an example, but in my experience in the past 3 years it has been really hard to create a space for support, or transformative discussion that goes beyond the superficial pasting of giant letters around campuses.

what i am starting to think is that awareness campaigns are not really the way to go period. it seems like a cope out for universities, or cities, to feel like they are doing their jobs and addressing sexual violence. and it becomes an excuse not do really look at what is needed. what about education in middle schools and high schools? funding for affordable mental health care, or support groups for survivors? the list can go on and on.

I agree with you 100 percent. it is important to educate people about rape and sexual assult, but the way your school is going about things is very innapropriate and i can imagine it is scarying the shit out of alot of people. I mean if i were a women and saw a sign that said RAPE 1 out of 4 i'd never leave my room. Again, education about this terriable crime is needed but not like this.

One thought I thought of, and I am /not/ a survivor, is that I wonder if for some survivors the 1 in 4 statistic /is/ helpful (not speaking to the other information on the posters), because it makes them feel less alone? (this would be for survivors who would tend to be secretive about their experience or feel like rape is a shameful thing, I'm thinking)

I am just reminded of another controversy, the one over the t-shirt that survivors could choose to wear to proclaim themselves survivors of sexual assault. Some survivors were very offended by the idea, others thought it could be empowering.

Although I think one big difference about the t-shirt is that it would be survivors themselves choosing to wear it, I guess one question is: since survivors experiences and recovery processes can very greatly, how do you reach some method that's beneficial to everyone?

"One thought I thought of, and I am /not/ a survivor, is that I wonder if for some survivors the 1 in 4 statistic /is/ helpful (not speaking to the other information on the posters), because it makes them feel less alone? (this would be for survivors who would tend to be secretive about their experience or feel like rape is a shameful thing, I'm thinking)"

Here is my response to that, as a victim. (Say what you will, but I feel like a victim, not a survivor) If there was anything in the world I could wish for, it would be that I was alone. I am not comforted that thousands (millions...) of other people know how I feel. I am not comforted by the fact I am not alone in my pain.

Thoughts?

I completely understand the trigger factor in putting up signs where they are unavoidable. I don't really understand why rape awareness campaigns are targeted to women. Survivors certainly need support, but like everyone else has been saying, putting statistics up everywhere and telling women to watch their drinks is blaming the victim.

The harm in posting information about rape in women's bathrooms far outweighs any good it could do. However, I can't think of a better way to raise awareness for MEN. Where else but in the bathroom stall would a man actually be forced to read a poster? Especially since most bathrooms are still gender segregated. I liked Prof D's examples: "Is she really saying yes or is she scared?" How about "Are you plying your date with drinks because she would refuse to have sex with you in her right mind?"

Of course, there are men who have been raped by other men. And transmen who may have been assaulted living as women or men. I guess there really is no one good answer to this.

At my college last semester, they put giant turquoise sillhouettes in the shape of women's bodies on the quad for a whole week. The bodies had stories of assualt and domestic violence on them, and they stayed up for an entire week. As someone who experience "gray rape" in my teens, I nearly had a heart attack. However, I certainly didn't feel comfortable approaching the organizer and saying, "Excuse me, as a victim of assault, these are really hard to see as I walk to my meals."

Last semester at my school, they nailed wooden turquoise sillhouettes (life size)of women all over the quad in front of the dining hall in order to represent rape and domestic violence victims. Some of the figures had stories of violence written on them. I nearly had a heart attack the first time I saw them, but I didn't feel comfortable approaching the organizer to say, "Excuse me, but as an assault victim myself, I'd rather not be bombarded like this every time I go to a meal."

"At my college last semester, they put giant turquoise sillhouettes in the shape of women's bodies on the quad for a whole week. The bodies had stories of assualt and domestic violence on them, and they stayed up for an entire week. As someone who experience "gray rape" in my teens, I nearly had a heart attack."

They did a similar campaign at my last school, and the girl/woman running the campaign (who I deeply respect for a number of reasons) was a survivor herself of childhood sexual assault.
The same is true of the organization on my campus who sometimes posts statistics. Posting statistics is certainly not /all/ they do. But they do post statistics. And the group has frequently been headed by survivors.

Which is certainly not to invalidate your experience, but just to repeat myself, what's helpful and empowering to one person is not to another person, sometimes. So what to do...?

"I don't know. I don't think rapists care about pledges."

I believe an explicit anti-rape pledge would be thought provoking to males, the target audience, provided rape is clearly defined. Do you want "enthusiastic consent" to be the definition of consent? Do you want no such thing as "he said"? Then that is what the signer is explicitly agreeing to, and opening anything else up to a prosecution for rape.

If you don't believe rapists care about explicit, written agreements not to rape, what makes you believe rapists or future rapists will care about anti-rape education aimed at males? Why should sex offenders released into the community care about any of their treatments or conditions either?

This is a really interesting post, looking at an issue in a way I hadn't really thought about.

I think one of the questions to answer is what we want to tell men and what we want to tell women about rape. Right now, it seems we want to tell women how to stay home and remain sober. ...Right. One of the things I might want to address in a campaign is how you can help your friends after an attack (or after being told much later). It would help with its surface message, but could also talk to survivors without directly confronting them as victims.

I think there should be comprehensive leaflets with clear headings so that you can choose to read as much as you need to and control the flow of information. I have some experience with this at work when an EXTREMELY disturbing leaflet was left out in the staffroom by my boss who thought people would be just fine helping themselves to it, when in reality everyone was trying not to freak out. Give people a leaflet, let them read it when they're ready. Not when they're preparing for work, food or study.

As for confronting men, I think the emphasis has to be on what rape IS. There should be more detail on common situations so that the metaphorical lightbulb goes on in the back of the head when faced with a similar situation in real life.

(As for statistics, I think it's enough to say that people who have close friends know women who've been raped. And no, I'm not college-aged. Just writing this post has dredged up memories of holding friends who've trusted me with this information and it makes me so ANGRY that this is still happening.)

I've been thinking about this more...and I want to say that one of the main reasons for awareness campaigns is that rape is something a lot of people don't take seriously (and not taking it seriously seems to be encouraged by a lot of the media in this society). I think the aim with statistics like 1 in 4 or others like it are that, when it's that high, everybody probably knows someone who's a survivor, even if they haven't been told. And it can't be a 'joke' anymore, it can't be "she wanted it" anymore, when it's your friend who it happened to (unless you're a total asshole who doesn't care about your friends' feelings when they contradict your agenda, which does happen).

However, this doesn't mean these things can't be harmful to survivors. Plain statistics don't usually affect me, but I think the women's body cutouts might; and I have to be careful when I go see speeches or lectures about rape.

For anyone who has had a similar experience- what would be helpful to fix this? Realistically, I know that there will never be a situation where the possibility of retraumatizing someone is completely eliminated, but how can we minimize it?

Would it be helpful to send out an email or some other message a few days/weeks before saying something like:

"In September there will be a sexual violence awareness campaign on campus. We will be posting flyers in (list of areas) and the Silhouette project will be in the (area). This event is sponsored by(organization). Please contact (name) at(contact info) with any questions or concerns."

Would you contact that person and share your concerns? Would that make you feel like you have to avoid those spaces?