The problem of the sexual violence is still actual in the modern world. The people in the XXI century are spoilt by the toys of progress and technical evolution but the women today face the same problems as centuries ago. They should defend and prove their rights to their body. I have chosen three different newspaper articles where the sexual violence is discussed. They reflect the situation in the USA, the UK, and Germany. Observing the dynamics of solving the problem over the course of time all over the world we may see if the issue moves closer to its end. The sexual assault and the punishment of this crime require a set of significant measures as even the women in the leading countries of the world cannot feel safe.
Carolyn A. Conley in "Sexual Violence in Historical Perspective" mentions that three sources serve as the basis for historical examination of the issue. They include established laws, cases recorded in court or public documents, and the reflection in culture. Let's take a closer look on written laws and observe the attitude to the sexual violence over the course of time. In some cultures, the raped woman was not considered the victim, while her male relatives obtained some compensation being true victims of the rape. Sometimes the woman got monetary compensation. It was believed that the money could comfort the raped woman. According to the laws and traditions that existed in some Western cultures, a rapist had to marry his victim. By doing so, he compensated the ruinous effect of the crime on the woman's family and her reputation. No attention of the society was given to the sufferings of the victim. However, according to medieval laws, the sexual violence was perceived as a serious crime. The victim had to show her torn clothes that served as the proof of the committed crime. In the sixteenth century to accuse someone of the rape, the victim had to prove that she didn't agree to have sex with the rapist. If the woman didn't refuse out of fear, the case was not perceived as the rape. The same situation was in case when the victim got pregnant, as it was believed at that time that the woman got pleasure from the sexual act. In the sixteenth and seventeenth century sex outside of marriage was a serious crime, and the woman had to prove that she was raped. Otherwise, she was considered guilty as well and had to be punished. In addition, the cases of prosecution and punishment of the rapist were quite rare. Men were at the head of the legal system, the process of gathering proof of the crime was sophisticated, and women were afraid to confess that they were raped. There were cases when the victims were accused of slander or perjury against their offenders. All these facts reduced the chances of the assailants to be punished. The same situation was in pre-revolutionary France. Writers condemned the sexual violence in their works but it was quite difficult to convict someone of the rape in court. In the fourteenth century, the issue was not treated seriously in Venice, and these crimes were not even reflected in culture. Respectable and rich men were almost never punished for the rape, and if the victim had not significant injuries that threatened her life the judges perceived the case as her agreement to have sexual relations. In the eighteenth century, the rapist was seen as a noble man attacking an innocent maiden. It worked against the victim in court and contributed to the fact that the rape committed by the working-class men was ignored in the society. The situation worsened in the nineteenth century. A typical image of the assailant was a beast that has nothing human. Consequently, "adequate" and mentally healthy men were rarely accused of this crime (Conley 207-215).
Let's now see how the issue is perceived nowadays. The first newspaper article under study is "How Colleges are Battling Sexual Violence" from The US News, written on Aug. 28, 2015. The article deals with the teaching programs on healthy relationships in some American colleges. These classes where students learn how to act in situations at risk are a part of the orientation training for the first-year students. The author mentions that the administration of Dartmouth College has announced that some significant measures combating the sexual violence will be implemented in 2016. The students will have a training on preventing the sexual assault during four years of studying. They will also live in new residential communities and participate in social events. The hard alcohol will be banned at the campus, and the security guards will keep it safe. All these measures are quite original for the colleges. They are aimed at education young people how to protect themselves and other people from the sexual violence as well as reducing the number of such crimes. Traditional programs are quite short, and they give just general knowledge about the issue. Unfortunately, they do not prevent anyone from committing the sexual assault. That's why a wide range of schools introduces new classes. In some colleges, the students are obliged to take an online course on healthy relationships and the negative effects of drinking alcohol. Indiana University is even more creative. Its students watch a musical about the issue. The experts say that the problem of the sexual violence requires a set of measures. One week of lectures and discussions is not enough to combat it. The educational campaign includes not only classes on gender stereotypes and the damage of alcohol but also encompasses the issue of consent in sexual relations. The students learn what it means to agree to have sex. It is stressed that refusing means not just saying no. The partner should clearly state his or her will of having sex. Being drunk, under the influence of drugs or having other mental disorders cannot be considered as the consent in any case. What is more, the students are taught to have zero tolerance to violence. They also learn how to protect other people by creating distraction and helping the potential victims. It is also mentioned in the article that such schools as Brown and Swarthmore followed the example of Dartmouth and banned hard alcohol as well. Some colleges do away with fraternities as these communities are at risk of committing a sexual crime. Many colleges also forbid alcohol at fraternity parties. Large parties require the presence of the guard as well as minimum three sober members of the fraternity who will observe and control the visitors of the gathering. The author of the article Beth Howard adds that sometimes women address not the police but the college administration in case of the rape. This may not always help, especially when the college does not set clear policies concerning the issue. When one of the students of the University of North Carolina told the administration about her being raped, she was asked what she could have done differently in that situation. It is clear that the assailant was not punished. Later, the girl became the founder of the organization that fights against sexual violence at colleges. Some universities create special units or departments aimed at helping the victims of the rape, gathering evidence, and even involving professional investigators. Some universities reduce the required amount of proof for such cases. Stricter policies are also contributing to combating the problem, e. g. the assailants are excluded from the university. However, every medal has two sides. The experts foresee that these measures will increase the number of lawsuits against the universities by those students who were unfairly accused of the crime. According to the article, The White House also initiates conducting anonymous mandatory surveys at colleges to find out how many students were the victims of the rape. It should help to see the real picture of the problem at educational institutions (Howard).
Another article is "Inquiry into Sexual Violence in Schools" from the BBC News is written on April 19, 2016. This source correlates with the previous one and deals with the sexual harassment in educational institutions in England. According to the BBC News report, more than half a thousand cases of the sexual assault were recorded in schools in the UK between 2011 and 2014. About a fifth of these cases was made by people under age. A special committee carried out a number of workshops to collect the evidence of three hundred students about the problem. Students, their parents, teachers, and NGOs are asked to share their knowledge about the sexual violence as well. The author provides the story of a girl from Wales who had the experience of the sexual harassment. She indicates that the case had a ruinous effect on her self-esteem. When the girl dared to report the case at school, she didn't get enough support and comfort. The victim states that the situation in the UK schools is awful. The students insult their peers and abuse those who are virgins or refuse to have sex. Sometimes, teachers even conceal the incidents because the victims and the offenders are too young and the school administration is afraid of a scandal. There are cases when the victims do not report sexual bullying and sexual assault out of fear of being punished as well. The results of the survey conducted by the committee were shocking. The problem turned out to be more widespread than expected. The committee gathers experiences teachers to improve the programs on sexual education as well as to help the victims of the sexual harassment and bullying ("Inquiry Into Sexual Violence In Schools - BBC News").
The last article is called "Germany Passes ‘No Means No' Law after Cologne Attacks". It is taken from the New York Times and is written by Melissa Eddy on July 7, 2016. The author reports that a new legislation was approved in Germany that makes the prosecution of those suspected of sexual violence easier. The author states that the procedure of giving evidence of the crime was quite sophisticated in Germany, that's why many incidents of sexual harassment were not even reported. The new legislation facilitates the process of prosecution in cases where the sexual act took place without the will of one of the partners even if the victim didn't cry or yelled for help. Some clarifications of the situations where men can initiate sexual attack in a crowd are also included in the legislation, as the Germans still remember the New 2016 Year's Eve in Cologne when more than 600 women experience sexual assault. The offenders were mostly immigrant or asylum seekers. The laws in Germany were extremely strict and it was difficult to prove that the sexual attack really happened. According to this article, only one in ten cases is reported. Moreover, only eight percent of those cases that reach the court result in a conviction. The German laws concerning protection of their women leave much to be desired. The country recognized the marital rape as a crime only nineteen years ago. The new legislation is welcomed by thousands of German citizens and is perceived as a promising step towards safer life of the German women. However, the measure raised heated discussions among right groups. The far-right parties state that the biggest problem in Germany is immigrants and in case they leave the country no such tough measures are required. Nevertheless, the legislation is a forced and long-expected measure that should result in better protection of the women's rights and easier prosecution of the suspect of the sexual harassment (Eddy).
Works Cited
Conley, Carolyn. "Sexual Violence In Historical Perspective". The Oxford Handbook Of Gender, Sex, And Crime. Rosemary Gartner and Bill McCarthy. New York: Oxford University Press, 2014. 207-215. Print.
Eddy, Melissa. "Germany Passes ‘No Means No’ Law After Cologne Attacks". Nytimes.com. 7 July 2016. Web. 30 July 2016.
Howard, Beth. "How Colleges Are Battling Sexual Violence". US News & World Report. 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 30 July 2016.
"Inquiry Into Sexual Violence In Schools - BBC News". BBC News. 19 April 2016. Web. 30 July 2016.
