Jaclyn Friedman, co-editor of the anthology Yes Means Yes: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape, takes on the sexism inherent in campus-based rape “prevention” programs:
At about this time every year, adult anxiety about sexual assault reaches a tipping point and gives way to an avalanche of advice to young women from campuses, commentators, and parents alike: Don’t hook up! Don’t dress provocatively! Watch your drink! Actually, don’t drink at all! Always stay with a friend! Don’t stay out too late! Don’t walk home alone! Etcetera, etcetera, ad nauseam.
And every year, it fails to work. A 2007 Department of Justice-funded trend analysis of rape studies over time revealed that rates of rape haven’t declined in the past 15 years — in fact, they may be increasing.
Why hasn’t it worked? Perhaps it’s because making rape prevention the responsibility of young women teaches students that guys can’t be expected to be responsible for their own actions.
Is this the time to start collecting horror stories of our own worst experiences with college “rape prevention” tactics? I can start.
The rape whistle.