Knowledge can prevent rape

By Michael Maxwell

Most students at Santa Clara say they are against rape, which shouldn't be surprising. What is surprising, however, is that while most students deplore rape and sexual assault, few know enough facts and have too little information to either prevent rape or help a rape victim.

We've all heard statistics concerning rape: One out of every four college women will have experienced rape or attempted rape by the time they graduate, many survivors are affected for the rest of their lives, and men are the main perpetrators of rape. These facts, while important in their own right, give people a false impression that they know all there is to know about rape. The truth is that many people who know these statistics still believe the rape myths that propagate rape.

Is this issue a problem at Santa Clara? There is no way to tell. Only 42 percent of survivors ever tell someone about their experience, and only 5 percent seek counseling (the first step in recovering) or go to the police. Statistically, if 500 women were raped, which equates to one out of every four women at Santa Clara, only 25 would get the treatment they need. Rape is the No. 1 under-reported crime because survivors think that people won't believe them or will refuse to help them. Could someone you love be one of those 290 women who never tell a soul?

Imagine someone you care about. Maybe it's your sister or girlfriend, but it's definitely someone you'd jump in front of a bullet for. She goes to a party and has some drinks, and meets a guy. She gets drunk and her friends have left, leaving her at the party with no way home. The guy offers his couch as a bed.

Then, in the middle of the night, this guy rapes your helpless, drunk sister. Or he forces himself on your best girl friend. Now here's the kicker: Statistically, four out of every five times a woman is raped, it's by someone she knows.

And, on average, she's known the guy for a year. So, that guy raping your sister or girlfriend could be your classmate. Or your basketball teammate. Or your fraternity brother.

Sure, this couldn't happen to your friend or sister -- they would have told you. Or are they part of that overwhelming majority that never tells a soul what happened to them? Forgive me for being a pessimist, but I haven't been able to count the number of incidences of rape I know of with 10 fingers in a long time.

What makes you think you're different? What can you do? Here's the answer: Know how to help a survivor if they come to you. Support the Rape Education and Prevention Program by going to their presentations. If you're a male, go to the Men's Program -- it's the best way to understand the topic in one short 45-minute presentation that focuses on how to help a victim, not on telling you not to be a rapist.

But guys, don't be that person who says, "I don't need to know about rape. I'd never do that." Remember, you don't have to be diagnosed with cancer to be affected by it.

* Michael Maxwell is a senior.