College Sex Abuse and Assaults
College sex abuse is a rampant problem in America. The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault reported in 2014 that 20% of all college students—male and female—experience some type of sexual assault. The American Civil Liberties Union has estimated that as much as 95% of rapes on American college campuses are never reported to the authorities—and only 25% of reported assaults result in an arrest, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN). Almost one in four female college students (23%) has experienced some form of unwanted sexual attention: kissing, touching, groping, stalking, or rape, according to the Association of American Universities (AAU). The National Sexual Violence Center reported in 2015 that one in five women and one in sixteen men experiences some form of sexual assault while in college.
What is Sexual Assault?
Sex assault is a broad term. Not all sex assault involves touching—voyeurism, exhibitionism, and stalking are forms of unwanted sexual attention. Kissing, fondling, or touching are also physical forms of sex assault, not just non-consensual oral or penetrative sex. Not all sex assault happens by force, either—it is often far simpler for perpetrators to coerce their victims into performing sex acts by giving them drugs or alcohol or threatening them verbally.
College sex abuse likewise takes many forms. School counselors or trusted professors may lure unsuspecting students into their homes or other secluded places and sexually abuse them under coercion or force. Male students may take advantage of female students, especially during parties where there is alcohol in abundance. Hazing is also an issue—both fraternity and sorority members may be sexually assaulted or violated during hazing rituals.
Perhaps the most disturbing thing about college sex abuse is that a vast majority of the victims know the perpetrator. RAINN estimated that 6.5% of all sexual assaults in America are perpetrated by the victims’ relatives; 16.7% by a stranger unknown to the victim; 21.3% by an acquaintance of the victim; and an overwhelming 61.9% by an “intimate partner”—a current or former spouse, same-sex or opposite-sex cohabiting partner, a date, or a boyfriend or girlfriend. (These percentages total more than 100%, because some of the women surveyed had multiple attackers in different categories.)
Why You Need a Skilled College Sex Assault Lawyer
Colleges and universities are large institutions with businesses and reputations to protect. Fraternities and sororities are as well. These organizations are capable of hiring expert lawyers to defend themselves from allegations of sexual assault, abuse, or rape. You need a savvy and capable attorney on your side in order to seek justice from perpetrators of sexual abuse and the institutions whose negligence enabled them to commit their crimes. As was mentioned previously, only one in four reported sex assaults conclude with an arrest. If your attacker somehow escapes the criminal justice system, he or she can still be taken to civil court and made to pay for the crime committed against you. It’s vital that you come forward soon, however—generally speaking, college students have a two-year statute of limitations to file a claim against their attacker. Once this expires, a victim’s legal options become limited.
Estey Bomberger Helps Victims of College Sex Abuse
The personal injury and college sex abuse attorneys at Estey Bomberger are here to help you. We can help you seek justice for a sex assault perpetrated against you as a college student. Our expert legal team has the resources and the know-how to hold guilty parties responsible and get you fair compensation for the trauma you’ve suffered. If you or someone you know has been a victim of college sex abuse, assault, or rape, and has been emotionally or physically traumatized as a result, call the law firm of Estey Bomberger at 1.800.925.0723.