When it comes to talking about sexual assault and rape it seems that we have gone too far in our search for the truth that it has been reductive rather than productive. We are motivated by our obligatory search for truth because we know it is part of being a self-constituting human – truth and knowledge are basic human goods.
But what happens when the very institutions that encourage us to pursue knowledge and truth corrupt this good by suppressing the truth about rape on campus? Where do we turn to for answers? Who do we ask for help and how do we move forward in telling these stories? Perhaps first we should look to those who are asking us to listen.
“The Hunting Ground,” a hard-hitting documentary, by writer-director Kirby Dick and producer Amy Ziering, broadcasted by CNN has in many ways taken the first step in answering to the problem of sexual assault reportage. The film acts as the mouthpiece for the many young women and men whose traumatic stories of rape and sexual assault on campus have been unfairly silenced by the universities they attend. “The Hunting Ground” does well to deliver its message without reservation – the accounts of rape and sexual assault are both unbelievable and shockingly truthful – the audience experiences the visceral feeling of guilt, disgust, nausea, horror, fear and then an overwhelming sense of a call to action. Deemed by The New York Times “a must-watch work of cine-activism, one that should be seen by anyone headed to college”, “The Hunting Ground” pulls its power from its brutally honest accounts of sexual assault given by those who have survived it.
“The Hunting Ground” does well to deliver its message without reservation – the accounts of rape and sexual assault are both unbelievable and shockingly truthful – the audience experiences the visceral feeling of guilt, disgust, nausea, horror, fear and then an overwhelming sense of a call to action. Deemed by The New York Times “a must-watch work of cine-activism, one that should be seen by anyone headed to college,” “The Hunting Ground” pulls its power from its brutally honest accounts of sexual assault given by those who have survived it.
However in spite of the bravery that catalyzed these accounts and pushed them onto a world stage, the documentary has unfortunately fallen flat in its ability to further national conversation. There has been no follow up on the survival stories detailed by the film and thus, little justice. Nevertheless, as the film revolves around the stories of Annie E. Clark and Andrea Pino, they succeed in framing rape and sexual assault as a national epidemic.
While the message of “The Hunting Ground” rang loud and clear in its moment of broadcasting, the gravity of its impact quickly faded from the world stage as more pressing and tragic world issues shook the world to its core. As the message the film brought forth droned on in the background, the world simply stopped listening and forgot that sexual assault occurs daily and globally.
It wasn’t until recently that the national conversation about rape was pushed once more to the forefront with the arrival of the Stanford rape case. The rage of the nation came in the aftermath of a letter (published by Buzzfeed) written by the victim to her assailant detailing the disturbing, detailed and deeply moving account of her rape and struggle to survive. The 7,244 word letter sparked instantaneous outrage on social media and elsewhere because of the pittance of a sentence the assailant, Brock Turner received for the crimes described by his victim – six months in county jail and three years of probation, though the minimum sentence when he was convicted of three separate felonies would be 14 years.
The rage of the nation came in the aftermath of a letter (published by Buzzfeed) written by the victim to her assailant detailing the disturbing, detailed and deeply moving account of her rape and struggle to survive. The 7,244 word letter sparked instantaneous outrage on social media and elsewhere because of the pittance of a sentence the assailant, Brock Turner received for the crimes described by his victim – six months in county jail and three years of probation, though the minimum sentence when he was convicted of three separate felonies would be 14 years.
Following the outcry produced by the victim’s letter, a note written by Turner’s father to the judge on Turner’s case was made public. It begged the judge for leniency in his son’s case while also reducing the severity of the victim’s assault to “20 minutes of action.”
In many ways, the Stanford case explains exactly why the majority of rape victims do not report their assaults or choose to pursue a trial where the sentences amount to nothing more than a slap on the wrist. In spite of the outrage sparked by his sentence, the national conversation about rape hasn’t changed because our legal system’s approach to rape cases hasn’t changed – it is still largely shaped and marred by the intricacies of male class and privilege.
While dethroning the influence of male class and privilege will only be possible if our nation’s approach to the legalities of rape change, there are corrective measures being taken. Jessica Ladd, Founder and CEO of Sexual Health Innovations – a website that creates “original websites, apps, and software systems that will advance sexual health and wellbeing”– has created a groundbreaking reporting system called
Jessica Ladd, Founder and CEO of Sexual Health Innovations – a website that creates “original websites, apps, and software systems that will advance sexual health and wellbeing”– has created a groundbreaking reporting system called Callisto to encourage women to bring their assault to the attention of authorities.
In her TedTalk “The reporting system that sexual assault survivors want,” Ladd explains that though sexual assault has been officially termed as an epidemic, there is still a demand for much-needed reforms in how campus sexual assaults are tracked and handled. Ladd spits out statistic after astounding statistic to validate her quest for justice.
She notes that less than 10% report assault and those who do wait an average of 11 months to do and even then because 90% of sexual assault is committed by repeat offenders, with such low reporting rates in unlikely that these repeat offenders will be at the very least reported much less with any promise of legal ramifications. Ladd says that in spite of low reporting rates, of all sexual assaults reported, only 6% end with the assailant spending a single day in prison which means there is a 99% chance that they’ll get away with it – the facts are all here, the question is if this is a solvable problem.
Ladd said she started in her quest by talking to college survivors about their own experiences with assault. She then developed Callisto, a site in which victims of assault can create a time-stamped document in order to report the assailant and also choose when to release the document to a third party – like an authoritative institution like the police or an academic administration.
So how does Callisto then catch repeat offenders? The system boasts of a matching technology in which two victims match to the same assailant then their information detailing the offense would be sent to the authorities at the exact same time. In this way, Callisto could prevent 59% of perpetrators from committed acts of sexual assault and rape.
It’s about time we stop talking about rape and sexual assault and starting doing something. It simply isn’t enough to stand back and watch the ebb and flow of tragic sexual assault cases arrive on the world stage only to recede into the distance having made little impact.
The truth about rape and sexual assault is that it’s not a women’s issue, it’s a human issue. When we change our actions, change how we punish those who commit this repulsive breach of human rights, not only will the conversation about rape change but the “truth” about rape will promise justice rather than injustice.
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