“To disarm is to harm” and sexual assault misconceptions

In Edgar Haro’s column on Sept. 10, “To disarm is to harm,” Mr. Haro speculates that increasing acceptance of concealed weapons on campus might deter potential rapists.

In his words, “If you were a sexual predator dedicated to succeed in your mission of crime, would you prefer to hunt in a location where anybody might be packing heat? Or would you venture into an area like our campus where your prey have been disarmed for your convenience?”

The majority of sexual assaults on college campuses — including IU — are committed in seemingly safe locations like dorms, friend’s apartments or Greek houses.

According to one study at IUPUI, approximately 92 percent of women who have been raped knew their attacker.

Most perpetrators of sexual assault are not “dedicated to succeed in a mission of crime,” but are everyday people who would not consider their actions out of line — they simply “didn’t ask outright if s/he wanted it” or “made a no into a yes.”

About two thirds of attempted or completed rapes are committed in the context of alcohol or drug use.

If Mr. Haro’s suggestion were to be followed, we would empower people who are too intoxicated to consent to sex to protect themselves using a deadly weapon.

It’s simply not a practical nor effective suggestion, Mr. Haro, and frankly reinforces the notion of blaming the victim. “If only you had defended yourself” is the last thing a survivor needs to hear.

I applaud Mr. Haro’s concern for survivors of sexual assault, and I encourage him and fellow defenders of justice to volunteer with campus organizations such as RAISE (Raising Awareness of Interactions in Sexual Encounters) and the Sexual Assault Crisis Center if they want to make a true and lasting change.

Like most forms of violence, the biggest changes will be seen when we change the culture of acceptance of sexual assault, not when we increase the severity of punishment only for the most extreme examples — particularly when the extreme cases make up a tiny portion of the total problem.

— lorenzt@indiana.edu