You might think that young women in college would be more likely to report sexual assaults than other women of the same age.
Typically, they are more educated and should be more likely to know their rights and options. But just the opposite is true, according to recent study by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Women ages 18-25, not surprisingly, have the highest rate of rape and sexual assault victimization of any age group. Sadly, most of those crimes are never reported, but students enrolled in colleges and universities report at an even lower rate only about 20 percent of the time. For non-students, the rate is half as much higher at 32 percent, according to the Justice Department research.
Put another way, college campuses reported about 5,000 forcible rapes in 2013, according to U.S. Department of Education data, but the actual number is estimated at about six times that.
A bi-partisan group of U.S. senators, including Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, feels that at least part of the problem is the way many colleges handle such reports and a culture of silence that can develop. One survey found that 41 percent of colleges have not conducted a sexual assault investigation in five years, and 97 universities are currently under investigation by the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights.
This week the senators introduced a new version of the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which they hope will create a more consistent and effective approach.
"No student on a college campus should live in fear of being attacked or feel as though they cannot report sexual assault incidents," Capito said during a press conference Thursday, adding that the bill is designed to "educate campus personnel to respond compassionately and to strengthen the law enforcement response."
The provisions include requiring colleges and universities to:
Designate and train confidential advisers to handle reports from victims and provide support services for victims.
Use a uniform disciplinary process that precludes athletic departments or other subgroups from handling complaints.
Develop a memorandum of understanding with local law enforcement agencies to clearly define reporting and responsibilities.
The bill also calls for national surveys of students to paint a clearer picture of what is going on and for tougher penalties for violations of Title IX provisions and the Cleary Act, which covers university crime reporting.
On too many campuses, the incentive is to protect the school's reputation, and in the worst cases, high-profile offenders. It is time for a more consistent approach to handling sexual assault cases and hopefully discourage the crimes as well.