Rates Of Sexual Violence Research Articles

Exploring the Impact of Clery Sexual Assault Timely Warnings on a Campus Community

ABSTRACT The Clery Act requires higher education institutions to issue timely warnings in response to immediate safety concerns and to provide annual reports of campus crime data to the campus community. Despite 40 years of Clery-mandated timely warnings and reporting, rates of sexual violence on college campuses have not declined. Buidling on previous schoalrship about Clery Act requirements, we document more detailed challenges associated with complying with the Clery Act. Through a case study methodology, including interviews with university administrators and students, we examined the impact of a timely warning alert related to sexual assault on a campus community. We illustrate that campus community members feel confused about the intentions of timely warning alerts and uncertain about what to do with the information provided by the alerts. Additionally, the alerts created fear and anxiety among some members of the campus community and a chilling effect on reporting sexual violence. We provide implications for policymakers and researchers related to Clery compliance.

Sexual Violence Prevention Strategies Based on Hadith Guidance

Sexual violence continues to happen in different places and cannot be dealt with well. The rise in the rate of sexual violence from year to year is thought to be related to the state of education. So, many things about education need to be fixed to stop acts of sexual violence that have long-term effects. Handling cases of sexual violence is insufficient for punishing perpetrators because victims who have experienced violence cannot return to normal in their physical, psychological, or future conditions. More research, particularly on hadiths related to the prevention of sexual violence behavior, is required. In Islam, various strategies have been set up that are considered capable of saving the younger generation from sexual violence. Therefore, this article aims to present traditions related to efforts to prevent the prevalence of sexual violence in society. This study used a qualitative approach with a literature review model, and the data was analyzed using the fiqhul hadith approach. This approach is a method of understanding and interpreting Islamic jurisprudence based on the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad. The study discovers various strategies promoted by hadith to prevent sexual violence, such as managing the views of men's and women's genitals; managing educational institutions and gathering places that are separate for men and women; and promoting youth awareness to marry if they already have the ability to do so.

Examining how bystanders intervene and perpetrators respond to intervention during experiences of sexual aggression

Despite increasing uptake of bystander intervention programs to prevent sexual aggression, rates of sexual violence have remained persistently high. Those who witness sexual aggression among their peers can provide another vantage point regarding the strategies that perpetrators use and valuable information about ways in which perpetrators divert bystanders’ intervention—all information that can inform prevention programs. Participants ( N = 247) completed structured and open-ended items about occasions they had witnessed that involved efforts to force sex on a non-consenting individual. Reports were content coded for strategies leading to sexual aggression for 99 participants who had witnessed a recent alleged act of sexual aggression. Most (93%) reported perpetrators’ use of early physical pressure (e.g., unwanted grinding, following, isolating, violating personal space, pulling, blocking others) that typically escalated into more overt physical pressure and force. Verbal coercion (e.g., arguing, insisting, begging) was witnessed by 40% of participants, and 14% of participants reported witnessing the target being pressured to consume excessive levels of alcohol. Coded themes captured perpetrators’ defensive interactions with concerned bystanders, such as making excuses, minimizing their intentions, feigning innocence, and using humour to divert attention from sexually aggressive efforts. Results have implications for prevention efforts incorporating bystanders as well as education about the risk of assault.

Exploring the effect of early menarche on sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women in southeastern Ghana: a longitudinal mediation analysis

Research from several high-income countries links early menarche with an increased risk for sexual violence. However, the role of early menarche in adolescent girls’ and young women’s sexual violence risk in sub-Saharan Africa, where sexual violence rates are high, is not well understood. The current study explores the association between early menarche and sexual violence in Ghana with secondary analysis of data collected from 700 adolescent girls and young women followed over three years. Logistic regressions were used to assess the cross-sectional association between early menarche and sexual violence. Generalised estimating equations were used to assess whether the association between early menarche and sexual violence persisted over time. Inverse odds weighting was used to test potential mediators of the association between early menarche and sexual violence. Sexual violence was fairly common in the study sample, with 27% reporting having experienced sexual violence at baseline, and approximately 50% at year three. Early menarche was associated with 72% greater odds of having experienced sexual violence at baseline (95% confidence interval: 1.01–2.93). However, the odds ratio attenuated and lost significance over the three-year study period, with a lower risk of sexual violence among girls with early menarche at year three. Neither child marriage nor early sexual initiation significantly mediated the association between early menarche and sexual violence. The findings suggest that early-maturing girls may be particularly vulnerable to sexual violence in early adolescence, thus necessitating prevention interventions around the time of menarche to reduce the risk for sexual violence.

Experiences of healthcare staff in forensic care facilities supporting sexual violence survivors, in Tshwane, South Africa.

Sexual violence is a persisting global epidemic that is constantly increasing on a large scale. The rate of sexual violence in South Africa is one of the highest in the world; and it has been reported to appear socially normalised and acceptable. The study aimed to explore and describe the experiences of healthcare staff working in forensic care centres (FCCs) in Tshwane, South Africa. A qualitative approach was followed incorporating focus group interviews with a range of healthcare staff based in the two FCCs. Non-probability purposive sampling was done. Data analysis was informed by the Analytic Hierarchy Model which comprised of three steps: data management, descriptive accounts and developing explanatory accounts. Three main themes emerged as, (1) help them to do away with the idea of self-blame: everyday work; (2) barriers to the accessibility of care: seeking alternative traditional remedies(muti)from traditional healers and working in an unconducive environment and (3) compassionately sick at times: Emotional impact of forensic care work. The findings revealed that the healthcare staff are often working in difficult circumstances and that both professional and societal factors mediate against the provision of care and support for survivors. Greater attention is needed both in terms of service development and wider challenges to pervading societal norms surrounding violence against women.Contribution:The study highlighted the need for training, improved management support and debriefing sessions.

Mental Health and Injury Outcomes in Liberia, 1990–2017: An Ecological Systems Analysis

Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development is widely used to explain health outcomes, but most research focuses on the more immediate microsystem influences. Over the last 30 years, Liberia has experienced two civil wars, government regime changes, and an Ebola outbreak. We considered associations between those macrosystem and chronosystem shifts in Liberia on four public health outcomes from 1990 to 2017: suicide, depression, sexual violence, and substance use disorders. We conducted separate analyses for women and men. The results indicated substantial changes in health that coincided with macrosystem and chronosystem changes in Liberia. Men’s suicide rates increased during wartime and decreased afterwards, especially during the stable Sirleaf presidency. Both men and women experienced decreasing depression rates during the First Civil War. Depression rates for both men and women flattened during the stable Sirleaf presidency and increased during the Ebola outbreak. The rate of sexual violence was high for both genders during wartime and economic turmoil but declined markedly, especially among women, during the Sirleaf presidency, when government policies were enacted to reduce sexual violence. Substance use disorders were highest during times of economic stability and growth. Men experienced higher rates of suicide and substance use and lower rates of depression and sexual violence compared to women at all times. Consistent with Bronfenbrenner’s model, the results indicate how macrosystem and chronosystem shifts coincided with changes in individual-level mental health and injury outcome trends. We recommend macrosystem-level changes to prevent violence and increase mental health services, both in Liberia and globally.

Women's Participation in Foreign Labour Migration and Spousal Violence: A Study on Returnee Women Migrant Workers in Nepal

While existing studies point to a high degree of physical and sexual violence 1against women in Nepal, there is a lack of studies assessing the extent of violence among women who participate in foreign labor migration. This paper tries to fill this research gap by assessing the prevalence of spousal violence against women in overseas employment by using survey and interview data from a non-probability sample of 138 returnee women migrant workers (WMWs). The data used in this paper was collected in Dhading and Rupandehi districts in 2017 by a team of researchers, including the authors of this paper, for a comprehensive study on gender-based violence against WMWs. The study found the rate of lifetime physical violence among WMWs ten percent higher than the national average of 22 percent (MOHP 2012). This rate was highest among Dalit women and women above 35. The physical and sexual violence rates were lowest among women with secondary education or above. Similarly, the rates of physical and sexual violence were lowest among the WMWs whose husbands had secondary or higher levels of education, and the rates were highest among the WMWs whose husbands did not have a formal education. The study found only a weak relationship between women’s participation in labor migration and violence from their husbands and family members. For many WMWs, the violence prevailed in the pre-migration and post-return phases, and some women had participated in labor migration due to the violence in the family itself.

Patterning of Sexual Violence against Women across US Cities and Counties

Sexual violence against women is a global public health concern; yet, determining its patterning is still largely understudied. An excess of males has emerged as a central concern given that men are the primary perpetrators of violent behavior, particularly against women. However, it is increasingly unclear as to whether an excess or, rather, a shortage of men drives purported negative social outcomes. To address these conflicting expectations, we target data from the U.S. Census and the National Incident-Based Reporting System to explore the patterning of sexual violence against women across cities and counties in the United States. Through the use of generalized linear mixed models, we assess the role of adult sex ratio imbalance, along with measures of gender inequality, on sexual violence. Our results indicate mixed support for competing predictions. Violence does not simply increase by way of male surplus or shortage, but instead with increasing skew in the sex ratio. That is, balanced sex ratios exhibit the lowest rates of violence. However, rates of sexual violence against women increase more quickly with increasing male scarcity and are lowest at low levels of male excess (51%). Thus, our findings are particularly challenging to interpret from a ‘more males = more violence’ framework because violence increases more quickly with female excess and is rarest with a slight male bias in the population. We argue that these results highlight a need to target the specific types of violent behaviors expected to be motivated by partner availability, rather than overly simplistic predictions of male surfeit or deficit leading to an excess of violence.

Sexual Violence at University: Are Varsity Athletes More at Risk?

Some studies report that the sport context increases the risk of exposure to sexual violence for athletes. In contrast, others indicate a protective effect of sport participation against sexual violence, particularly among varsity athletes. Studies of sexual violence towards varsity athletes are limited by their failure to include control groups and various known risk factors such as age, graduate level, gender and sexual identity, disability status, international and Indigenous student status, and childhood sexual abuse. The purpose of the present study is to fill in these gaps to determine whether varsity athletes are at greater risk than non-athletes of sexual violence towards them or whether, on the contrary, involvement in a varsity sport is coherent with the Sport Protection Hypothesis. Data for this article come from the ESSIMU study (Enquête sur la Sexualité, la Sécurité et les Interactions en Milieu Universitaire), a broad survey of students, professors, and other employees at six francophone universities regarding sexual violence on university campuses. A total of 6,485 students with complete data on sexual violence, athlete status, and gender were included in the study. From this total, 267 participants identified themselves as varsity athletes. Data were analyzed using a series of logistic regressions on each form of violence using athlete status as a predictor and characteristics associated with sexual violence victimization or distinguishing between varsity athletes and non-athletes as confounding variables. When considering all confounding variables in the regression analyses on four yearly incidence rates of sexual violence, the results revealed that being a varsity athlete did not significantly increase the risk of exposure to sexual violence at university. All considered other variables were more significant predictors of the past year’s risk of sexual violence victimization than athlete status was.

Violência sexual contra crianças e adolescentes durante a pandemia de COVID-19: dados do ano de 2020 em um serviço de referência no Estado do Pará

OBJECTIVES: To analyze epidemiological data of children and adolescents who suffered sexual violence in 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, to characterize the victims and, thus, to know the magnitude of the injury, to support the planning of care, treatments and monitoring of these and their families, promoting enhancement, improvements and planning for the future and, consequently, enabling benefits for the service itself, for professionals included in it and, mainly, for those who use them. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional, analytical and descriptive epidemiological study, with data collected from the care records of victims referred to the reference service or who attended by spontaneous demand, including children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 712 children and adolescents. We found a higher rate of sexual violence against females (86%) aged between 12 and 14 years; the psychology service was the most active; the State capital held the largest number of registrations (54.8%); as for agents of sexual violence, the male aggressor totaled 97.8%, being 91.5% family acquaintances and, 72.8% belonging to the family nucleus, the main aggressors were boyfriends/partners (intra-family) and neighbors (extra-familial); the rape of the vulnerable affected 55.9% of the victims. CONCLUSION: The social isolation established during the epidemic provided a more favorable condition for the occurrence of acts of violence within the home. During the pandemic, there was a reduction in reports of violence against children and adolescents, however, not necessarily a decrease in cases of violence.

Institutional Response and Impact of Reporting Sexual Violence: An Examination of Sexual and Gender Minority College Students.

Although college students who are sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experience higher rates of sexual victimization than their peers who identify as heterosexual and cisgender, there is a paucity in the literature investigating how college campuses can address the needs of SGM college students in violence prevention and response. The present research examines a subset of data from the Healthy Minds Survey (HMS), a national web-based survey administered across two universities from 2016 to 2017. We examined the role of SGM status in the rates of sexual violence, perceptions of their college/university's institutional response to reports of sexual violence (e.g., taking a report seriously and taking corrective action), and the perceived impact of reporting sexual violence (e.g., students would support the person making a report). Logistic regression analyses revealed higher rates of sexual victimization among sexual minority students (compared to heterosexual), women (compared to men), and transgender and gender diverse (TGD) students (compared to cisgender). In addition, sexual minority (compared to heterosexual), women (compared to men), and TGD (compared to cisgender) students were more likely to perceive their institution would have a poor response to reports of sexual violence. Women and sexual minority students were also likely to believe that students who report sexual violence would suffer academically. These findings highlight the need for continued efforts to enhance sexual assault prevention and response efforts on college campuses, especially for SGM students.

Fighting Back Against College Campus Sexual Violence: Teaching and Supervising Courses to Empower Students

The present article focuses on how faculty at two different institutions independently developed academic courses utilizing feminist and intersectional theories to help empower students to “fight back” against college campus sexual violence. As college-aged women have one of the highest rates of sexual violence, it is imperative to provide them with the tools to successfully eradicate sexual violence. We discuss the two main components of our courses, rape culture and allyship, and provide specific assigned readings, class discussion topics, and active learning and reflection assignments to help instructors develop their own sexual violence prevention courses.

Psychological Impact of Early Childhood Development Due to Sexual Violence

In this day and age there are many problems with children. how not at a very early age and need good development and in the content of things that are posistif actually damaged. The rights of the child are usurped by irresponsible people. For example, such as sexual violence that can cause child development so unclear. Sexual violence itself is increasing significantly and the rate of sexual violence in Indonesian children almost every year rises. This is due to lack of attention and less serious attention. So that the most common negative effect felt by the victim is psychological damage. So that the occurrence of psychological damage can cause negative effects of long-term for children.

Using Mobile Technology to Enhance College Sexual Violence Response, Prevention, and Risk Reduction Efforts

Given high rates of sexual violence (SV) perpetrated against college students, campus administrators need to identify and utilize strategies to prevent and reduce the risk of SV before, during, and after violence has occurred. Developments in technology offer easily accessible avenues for colleges to deliver accurate resources to students in real time. The present study describes the iterative development process that engaged campus administrators, rape crisis center advocates, law enforcement, and students in the development of the mobile application (app), uSafeUS®. Unlike other college safety apps, uSafeUS provides primary prevention by facilitating users safe exit from potentially dangerous situations, secondary prevention by enabling the user to secure help when SV occurs, and tertiary prevention that enables users to obtain resources to help themselves or a friend in the aftermath of SV, all in one place.

The Role of Preparatory Programming in Increasing the Effectiveness of a Sex Offender Treatment Intervention

ABSTRACT Increasing the effectiveness of programs designed to treat individuals who have sexually offended is a critical step in reducing the rates of sexual violence in our communities. Yet, the research on such programs have yielded inconsistent results with regards to their effectiveness in reducing sexual recidivism among participants. Some researchers have explored whether the dose of treatment impacts recidivism, but there remains limited knowledge around the dose-response relationship for individuals who have sexually offended. The current study examines recidivism rates among 343 individuals who participated in and completed the programs administered by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS): Pre-SOAR (preparatory program), SOAR (full high-dose treatment program), and the combination of both Pre-SOAR and SOAR. Findings demonstrated that men who participated in Pre-SOAR only had the highest rates of recidivism among the three groups. Specifically, the Pre-SOAR only group returned to prison over a year sooner than the other two groups. These findings elucidate that the Pre-SOAR program is not sufficient or the most efficacious as a stand-alone program to reduce recidivism among sex offenders. Next, the Pre-SOAR program did show benefit when combined with the SOAR program, in that approximately 8% fewer of the individuals were reincarcerated during the study window compared to those who only completed the SOAR program. While those individuals who participated in the Pre-SOAR and SOAR programming group returned to prison approximately three days faster than the SOAR-only group, we do not see this to be a significant difference. Programming implications are discussed.

A Collaborative Community College Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Effort: Climate Study Results to Assess Impact.

Although 2-year institutions report higher rates of sexual violence (SV) than 4-year institutions, few resources exist to address SV on these campuses. The present study describes and assesses the impact of a 3-year initiative to engage personnel and students at seven 2-year colleges and community professionals to increase the effectiveness of SV prevention and response strategies. We administered a climate survey during the first and third year of this initiative. Compared with 2017 participants, 2019 participants reported increases in awareness of campus resources and perceptions of SV. Implications and suggestions for prevention and response efforts at 2-year institutions are discussed.

Exploring the relationship between strip clubs and rates of sexual violence and violent crime.

We examined whether (a) the number of strip clubs per capita and (b) the proportion of clubs with "high-risk characteristics" were significantly associated with rates of sexual violence (SV) and other violent crime at the county level. Using large, public data sets, we tested effects across 926 counties (13 U.S. states), controlling for percent below the poverty line and alcohol outlets per capita. We found that rates of strip clubs were significantly associated with violent crime, but not SV, in all but one model (accounting for Saturday hours). Counties with greater proportions of "high-risk" strip clubs (i.e., greater days and hours of operation, drink specials, full-nudity policies, or private rooms) have higher rates of SV. All models, except the full-nudity policy model, demonstrated increased rates of violent crime. These results provide information for community-level violence prevention and equips stakeholders with information to create safer communities.

#MeToo: Associations of educational institution religious affiliation with sexual health services and rates of sexual assault

Objective To explore the association of educational institution religious affiliation with provision of sexual health services and rates of sexual violence. Participants: Analysis of 500 US college/university websites; secondary data obtained from National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). Methods: Content analysis documented institutional religious affiliation and availability of sexual health services. Chi-square tests examined association of services with religious affiliation, while negative binomial models compared rape/fondling rates obtained from NCES between Christian/non-Christian schools. Results: Results demonstrated an overall deficit in services, with Christian campuses significantly less likely to offer 13 service. Christian schools had increased reports of rape (years 2015/2016) and fondling (year 2015). Conclusions: Results highlight insufficiency of sexual health services and the need for future research on specific forms of services available and other factors impacting sexual violence. Findings illuminate the importance of a campus’ social environment on sexual assault occurrences/reporting and structuring services to meet student needs.

Frequency and Factors Associated with Violence Against Female Sex Workers in Tehran, Iran

Female Sex Workers are among those women who are significantly more vulnerable to violence. Apart from the human rights perspective, assessing the frequency of violence among sex workers is especially important because of its relation to the spread of HIV and other sexually-transmitted infections. This cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among 263 female sex workers in southern parts of Tehran and their suburban regions in 2017 where the population is considered more socially and economically vulnerable. To evaluate univariate analysis between sexual violence and physical violence as dependent variables and the assumed exposures as well as confounders, the models were built distinctly. The models included exposures of the questionnaire as independent variables. The exposure factors with a p value of less than 0.2 were moved into the multiple logistic regression models. The rates of sexual violence and physical violence were reported as 72.2% and 82.3% respectively. According to our results, sexual violence is associated with higher education, working in streets, drug usage, having the experience of forced unprotected sex and feeling of discrimination. Physical violence is associated with low education, drug usage and feeling of discrimination in multiple analyses. Addressing the violence against female sex workers is a complex multifactorial issue in Iran. It requires structural changes in some social, legal, economic and health infrastructure programs.

Intersections between young women’s racial/ethnic identities and sexual orientation on rates of sexual violence and substance use

ABSTRACT Little is known about rates of sexual violence and associations with substance use as a function of women’s race/ethnicity and sexual orientation. Women ( N = 546; 18-29 years old) were recruited from a reproductive healthcare clinic. Five regression analyses examined (a) rates of sexual violence and (b) associations between sexual violence and substance use outcomes (heavy alcohol use, marijuana use, cigarette use, cigarette quantity) based on sexual orientation. Subsequent regression analyses examined race/ethnicity as a moderator of the associations between sexual orientation and (a) sexual violence and (b) substance use. Most women were heterosexual (64%) and 35% reported unwanted sex. Sexual minority women (SMW) reported higher rates of sexual violence and substance use than heterosexual women. Sexual violence was more strongly associated with heavy alcohol use for SMW than heterosexual women. Although SMW were more likely to report sexual violence than heterosexual women, this association was weaker for Black/Latinx women than non-Hispanic White women (aOR= 0.39, 95%CI [0.18, 0.82]). Race/ethnicity did not moderate the associations between sexual violence and substance use. SMW have unique needs around sexual violence experiences and substance use, regardless of race/ethnicity. These findings provide further support for implementing trauma-informed approaches to substance use prevention.