According to the SACHA Sexual Assault Center, rape culture involves everyday phenomena that "make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe rape is inevitable ” (“What is rape culture,” n.d.). Common examples of rape culture include: telling women to always travel in groups at night, asking survivors what they were wearing or whether they were drinking during the time of the attack, and ignore or stigmatize men who have experienced sexual violence (Ray, 2013). On college campuses, rape culture may contribute to the underreporting of sexual assault, as survivors may feel ashamed or fear humiliation Rape perpetuates general rape culture by pushing the public to blame survivors and discount the actions of perpetrators. Widely cited myths, such as women falsely reporting rape to protect their reputation or because they are angry at the victim. accused author, are based on a kernel of truth that is not representative of the reality surrounding these issues (Burnett et al., 2009). Rape culture is alive and well on college campuses, despite being a larger social issue. While this socially entrenched behavior is difficult to reverse, universities are important institutions that must accept partial responsibility for the perpetuation of rape culture and consequently must devise programs of change that circumvent this misbehavior.
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