As Congress considers whether or not to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act, one proposed addition to the law would require colleges to collect and report data on the incidence of "domestic violence, dating violence and stalking" on their campuses. It would also increase requirements placed on universities regarding education about and coordination around issues of sexual violence on campuses. Though on the whole this is undoubtedly a valuable piece of legislation that would do more good than harm, we caution against excessive optimism as to its likely effects. Reporting is not enough, because a major problem in addressing this issue is that many cases of sexual assault are not reported by the victims themselves. As such, much depends on how aggressively colleges work to prevent sexual violence.
Brown, like all universities, is already required to gather statistics on sexual assault. There were nine reported instances of forcible sexual assault on Brown's campus in 2010. A 2000 study by the National Institute of Justice and the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that each year, approximately one in 36 undergraduate women are victims of rape or attempted rape.
If those numbers don't seem to match up to you, you're right. At most universities, and in society at large, sexual assault is woefully underreported. Some studies suggest that up to 90 percent of sexual assaults on college campuses go completely under the radar. Thus, while the additional reporting requirements around sexual violence is commendable, it is questionable how much meaningful information these numbers would provide.
That said, data collection should further incentivize the University to ensure that students have safe spaces to report assault when it occurs. There are any number of resources that victims of sexual assault can seek out - Women Peer Counselors and other peer mentors, Psychological Services, the Department of Public Safety and the Coordinator of Sexual Assault Prevention and Advocacy. What victims do ought to be up to them, and confidentiality must be respected at all costs, but it may be worth considering to what degree these various bodies can do a better job sharing data and broader trends.
We support the proposed measure, but we more so support aggressive University efforts to ensure that resources for survivors of sexual assault and violence are widely known and easily accessible. We also encourage further efforts to open a dialogue between students about boundaries, consent and communication that may help reduce instances of sexual assault.
Too often, in the aftermath of sexual assault or violence, victims feel confused and alone and worry about the stigma of being labeled a "sexual assault survivor." And University attempts to follow up on these matters have often failed to appropriately respect all involved - the prolonged lawsuit regarding the University's handling of a 2006 rape allegation being only the most recent public instance of this.
If Congress renews its commitment to ending sexual violence on college campuses, we hope it spurs a renewed effort by the University to proactively attempt to create a safer space and make appropriate resources available for those many cases that go unreported.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
