As this semester ends, I find myself continually ?reflecting on a few things.
The Indiana Daily Student published several pieces about student well-being and sexual violence on campus that were insightful but filled me with a sense of frustration and hopelessness.
Even in my classes, people expressed anger. How can we continually let people suffer violence?
What can we do to improve the quality of life for our students, and how can we discuss these issues?
These were questions that were brought up again and again. Students were especially focused on sexual violence, given the recent University of Virginia debacle and reports of violence here at IU.
I find myself looking less hopefully at legal intervention and justice.
The Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network has a whole section that walks victims through investigations and going to trial and court proceedings, and it is ?daunting.
This is not to say that legal action is not necessary — it absolutely is.
It allows people to look seriously at the issue. But more often than not, it simply doesn’t go in the victim’s favor.
Instead, I find myself looking seriously and critically at the way the aftercare of victims is handled, especially here at IU. Currently, IU provides only 21 professionals at the Counseling and Psychological Services center to treat upward of 40,000 students, many of whom are dealing with the aftermath of?sexual violence.
This is unacceptable.
The Rape Treatment Center reports that more often than not, victims of violence do not report what happened to them for a variety of reasons — shame, depression, repression, shock, their emotional state, etc.
Sexual violence is extremely personal and ?terrifying.
It is hard, across the board, for victims to open up about such traumatic experiences.
Suicide.org reports that only 39 percent of sexual assaults are reported to the police. RAINN reported the percentage could be as large as 60 percent.
According to RAINN, 97 out of every 100 rapists will walk free.
That means that, when looking at the bare numbers, 97 victims of sexual violence will have been failed by our justice system.
And until that system changes, we need to have methods and funding in place to assist victims.
The Sexual Assault Resource Center reports that the mental trauma victims might deal with after their assault can range from acute depression to post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal thoughts.
Suicide.org reports that 33 percent of victims experience suicidal thoughts, and 13 percent of victims will attempt suicide.
Counseling and Psychological Services barely has the resources to handle the students on campus who aren’t dealing with trauma on that scale.
It is ridiculous of us to expect them to be able to handle the aftercare of sexual violence victims on campus, and it’s not because they don’t want to, it’s literally because they can’t.
I demand that we fix this. Until we can properly address the legal course of action for victims, we need to provide proper care.
IU needs to give CAPS more resources if our administration plans to properly combat campus sexual violence.
Otherwise, it will all just be talk.
ewenning@indiana.edu
