Toward a Pervasive Understanding of Rape Culture: The Extent of its Existence on the University Campuses

Abstract

Sexual violence has been highlighted as a global scourge. Rape culture being a phenomenon derived from the plight of sexual violence injustices, has addressed the normalization of actions which produce the issues surrounding sexual violence. Rape culture is an old concept, which, however, has been newly campaigned today as the crisis of sexual violence has risen. Women are at the forefront of this issue as they are the most affected; however, this is not to say that men do not fall victim. Experiencing sexual violence can demonstrate physical and genuine harm to survivors. Furthermore, academic performance and social interactions can be contrarily affected by a rape understanding, particularly when survivors face negative social responses and lack of help from college assets. University culprits of sexual assault seem to impart a few attributes to one another (e.g., psychopathic propensities, explicit compulsion strategies, and rape-supportive attitudes), proposing that some male understudies are bound to commit rape against one another. The propagation of rape culture crosswise over campus grounds eventually prompts an extreme underreporting of assault episodes and far-reaching falsehood with respect to rape. University institutions ought to require observer mediation preparing to teach understudies about rape, increment attention to college systems in regard to rape examinations, and change the present demeanor toward rape survivors and culprits. Tertiary institutions in South Africa have made many pledges that fight against violence that is gender-based, especially sexual violations. The findings indicate that rape culture is prevalent at a considerably high rate on university premises. Based on the findings obtained, the normalization of rape culture is a concept that students learn through home-indoctrinated practices, peer-group pressure, as well as through the influence of social media.