PAVE (Promoting Awareness, Victim Empowerment) was saddened by the front-page article, “Alleged Rape at Sigma Chi,” published Wednesday, March 4 in The Badger Herald. While the report of the assault itself was extremely disturbing, some of the comments posted by UW students on The Badger Herald website in response to the article were equally troubling. Many of these responses reveal we live in a culture in which we are more apt to blame sexual assault victims than to hold perpetrators accountable.
“How does she know she didn’t consent the night before? I often find credit card bills for pizza or drinks I don’t remember and retrospectively did not want but likely assented to in my intoxicated state.” — An anonymous comment posted to the Badger Herald website at 12:38pm on March 4.
When discussing the line between consensual sex and alcohol-facilitated sexual assault, it is important to recognize that certain norms within drinking culture work to perpetuate and reinforce harmful and abusive behaviors. Taking advantage of someone’s intoxicated state is predatory behavior. In the majority of cases, alcohol-facilitated sexual assaults are premeditated by perpetrators who are often less intoxicated than victims. The false victim blaming beliefs posted on The Badger Herald website reinforces that we do live in a culture that tolerates and excuses alcohol-facilitated sexual assaults.
Sexual assault is never the victim’s fault. Rather than focusing on a victim’s drinking, as a campus community we should focus on why a perpetrator’s behavior is generally excused by our culture when alcohol is involved. Alcohol can impair one’s ability to give consent. If you are looking to have a sexual encounter, it is your job to make sure your partner is sober enough to give consent. If your partner passes out, vomits, has trouble walking or talking or makes decisions he/she might not make if sober he or she might not be able to give consent. Make sure to talk to your partner so everyone has a good experience.
It is important to remember that while statistically most perpetrators are men, most men are not perpetrators. The alleged perpetrators are members of the campus community; the victim is also a part of the campus community. As the individuals who compose the student population at UW-Madison, how are we supporting victims and how are we holding perpetrators accountable? We cannot say in the same breath the victim of a violent crime — including rape — is not to blame for what happened to them, and then say that they cannot go out drinking at night with their friends without “asking for it.”
Simply put, something has to change. By accepting rape as an inevitable occurrence, we risk creating a campus climate that endangers both men and women. Labeling an entire fraternity house as rapists is harmful to men. Violating women’s bodies is harmful to women. Men and women both stand to gain from a culture that supports healthy, consensual sex.
Although the victim in this case is incredibly admirable for sharing her story in a very public forum, it is important to remember victims who do not share their stories publicly are no less admirable. Every victim is different, and thus each victim will react differently. For instance, some victims may wish to report their assault to the police, while others may choose to remain silent. Whatever the victim decides to do, it is important to remember that ultimately the decision is the victim’s and not ours to judge for appropriateness.
In the wake of these events, it is important for us all to step back and take a critical look at how we as students are responding to this assault. We thank victims for their courage and for sharing their stories with us. PAVE believes every time a member of our community is harmed, it affects everyone. We are eagerly awaiting the UW-Madison student body to echo that feeling.
PAVE
Contact: [email protected]
Phone: (608) 890-2139
Office: 3147 of the
