Violence Against Women: Part 1 of 2



  
 By Emily Kirby
 A lively dating scene and heavy drinking—both of these can make a college town the perfect target for many predators.

However, college students are not the only individuals at risk for these violent crimes. Both physical and sexual violence against women is rapidly increasing across the U.S.

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that 1,646 acts of physical assault occurred on campus among public four year institutions in 2000. However, this statistic does not account for the multitude of assaults taking place in the colleges’ surrounding area.

Three female students at the University of Georgia were sexually assaulted on campus within a three-hour period in late March of this year, according to The Red & Black Newspaper in Athens. The attacker from Atlanta was later caught and charged with three counts of sexual battery.

“It was an emotional roller coaster. You think you know what you’re going to do if something like that happens, but you don’t,” Jolynn Hayes—one of the three students assaulted at the University— told The Red & Black.

Incidents such as these are not uncommon among college students. In fact one in eight college women is raped and one in four women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).

“Working with Safe Campuses Now, I have heard numerous tales of sexual and physical violence against women,” said Erin Smoak, student director Safe Campuses Now, a non-profit student crime awareness organization at the University of Georgia. “These women often have difficulty recognizing and coping with the abuse they have faced.”

Smoak is no stranger to the effects of physical and sexual assault. During her sophomore year at the University, she was attacked on a blind date arranged by her sorority sister.

“After being lured into his apartment, he attempted to rape me,” she said. “He beat me in the face until I could not stand…in a fit of anger, he started to strangle me.” Smoak was able to escape from her attacker in a moment of his hesitation and she ran out of his apartment and into the middle of the road for safety.

“Today I use this story to teach young girls that bad people can very well be someone you know and not necessarily a man dressed in black hiding in the shadows of then night,” she said.Eighty percent of women who are assaulted know their attacker personally whether they are college students or not. Also, there are five million incidents of relationship violence each year and one in three female homicide victims is killed by her male intimate partner, said Melody Slashinski, Coordinator of Relationship & Sexual Violence Prevention at the University Health Center of UGA.

“(Violence against women) is a great threat to women’s health, one that has been referred to by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a public health crisis,” she said. “Approximately 84 percent of women in emergency departments are there for relationship violence related problems/injury.”

A multitude of health problems can develop from the violent attacks that so many women face. Physical health problems can include acute physical injuries (bruises, lacerations), chronic pain, irritable bowel syndrome, pelvic inflammatory disease, chronic pelvic pain, migraines, sexually transmitted diseases and urinary tract infections, she said.

Even more painful and enduring are the psychological problems that can develop from assault and abuse. Psychological health problems could include post-traumatic stress disorder, low self-esteem, substance/alcohol abuse, depression, social phobia and suicide attempts.

“The psychological effects are long lasting and can deteriorate numerous aspects of the victim’s life, including health,” Smoak said.

However, college towns are not the only source of violence against women. This trend is quickly becoming a national and international epidemic. Nearly one-third of American women have reported being physically or sexually abused by a husband or boyfriend at some point in their lives, Slashinski said.

Steps to curb the spread of violence against women are forming on both the community and national level.

This epidemic of violence has prompted the creation of the Office on Violence Against Women within the United States Department of Justice in 1995. The Office handles legal and policy issues involving violence against women and provides national and international leadership on the problem. Although it is only ten years old, the Office has already received over $ 1 billion dollars in grant money to train advocates for women’s safety and to establish victim assistance centers, according to the Department of Justice Web site.

In 2003, President George W. Bush proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month in the United States. In his public address, he noted that hundreds of thousands of incidents of domestic violence are reported each year, but it does not even begin to include the massive number of cases that go unreported each year. He urged the use of faith-based and community groups as a refuge, a counseling center and legal advocate for abused women.

On the local level, many communities participate in rallies and events to raise awareness of the widespread trend of violence against women— such as the “Take Back the Night” march. “Take Back the Night” is an international event that is organized in many communities during April— which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month.

This April, the University of Georgia and many Athens-area organizations are hosting their own “Take Back the Night” rally, march and candlelight vigil to raise awareness and empower individuals who have fallen victim to violence.

Women who are victims of abuse should seek help at a local medical or health center—which are able to treat victims of physical, mental and sexual abuse.

At the University of Georgia Health Center, services are offered through the Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention Program, which can “provide individuals with campus and community resources and information specific to protecting oneself,” Slashinski said.

The Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) of the University also provides victims with six free counseling sessions and long-term care for a “modest fee”. They also can refer community counselors to women who require more extensive care.