A Generation of Silent Victims

To me, the scariest statistic regarding sexual assaults on college campuses is that 90% of victims do not even report their case. Perhaps the aftermath of the incident puts victims in a traumatizing daze or they are worried about how others will perceive the incident if reported. Nevertheless, much of this hesitance stems from our existing stigma surrounding sexual assault. In other words, victims remain silent to avoid intense public scrutiny and even “blame,” if they got too drunk or dressed promiscuously during the night of the incident. Most of the time, this stigma of being a victim primarily concerns women since men are usually the perpetrators. Women are believed to have “asked for it” or called “sluts” or “whores” in event of an assault. How can we as a society eradicate this stigma attached to sexual assault? Does simply allowing victims to remain anonymous during the reporting process get to the root of the problem?