ELLSWORTH AIR FORCE BASE, S.D. -- The 28th Bomb Wing hosted a seminar on rape and sexual assault, as a conclusion to Sexual Assault Awareness Month, April 27.
Anne Munch, nationally recognized speaker on sexual assault, was featured at the event, called "Naming the Unnamed Conspirator."
"I used to assume there were two parties to a sexual assault," said Mrs. Munch. "I was wrong. There was a third party that influenced cases and affected their outcome -- the unnamed conspirator."
Mrs. Munch said society acts as the unnamed conspirator, which is largely responsible for victims refusing to report sexual assault crimes. In a survey of more than 6,000 students from 32 colleges and universities it was revealed that one out every four women had been victims of rape or attempted rape. Of those women, 27 percent actually considered themselves to be victims of rape - even though all of the women experienced what could be legally defined as rape. Mrs. Much also said that, according to the survey, 84 percent of all the women who had been raped knew their attacker; and 57 percent of those attacks happened during a dating situation.
"Most startling is that 42 percent of those rape victims told no one of the assault, and only five percent reported it to the police," she said. "Rape is an embarrassing and humiliating experience for the victim."
During the presentation, a 911-call where the victim was hesitant about reporting the rape was played. Mrs. Munch said the unnamed conspirator was actively influencing the victim.
"I'm sorry, I wasn't going to call this in," the victim said. "But my doctor said he couldn't treat me unless I filed a police report."
Mrs. Munch said the doctor gave the victim inaccurate information. He was obligated to help her, regardless of whether or not she filed a report with police.
"It's my fault," the victim went on to say. "Why am I doing this? It's my fault. I brought him over to my house."
She told her attacker "no," and asked him to leave, Mrs. Munch said. He hit her in the face and possibly broke her nose. However, the unnamed conspirator had influenced her to the point where she questioned if she had actually been raped.
Mrs. Munch said that more than eight percent of male college students have committed acts that met the legal definition of rape. Of those eight percent, 88 percent were adamant that their behavior did not constitute rape. She said these statistics have permeated the military, where 13 percent of Navy recruits admitted to perpetrating rape or attempted rape either prior to or during their first year of military service.
"Within the Air Force, 18.9 percent of women and 1.2 percent of men have reported having experienced some sort of sexual assault during their time in service," she said. "The unnamed conspirator has convinced us that rape and sexual assault are ok."
Mrs. Munch said society has become so swayed by the unnamed conspirator that victims are often put on trial to test the validity of their story.
"This culture is saturated with victim blame," she said. "We convict less than two percent of sex offenders."
Jurors define rape in terms of the victim's assumption of risk, she said. They disregard evidence and decide rape cases based on their personal perceptions of the victim's character and lifestyle.
"The unnamed conspirator is a societal attitude," Mrs. Munch said. "We have created a perfect environment for perpetrators. If sexual assault was a compass, north would be victim behavior. We need to change our focus and start looking at the attacker first."
Shannon Holstein, 28th Bomb Wing sexual assault response coordinator, agreed with Mrs. Munch. She said the initial stereotype in sexual assault cases has been to blame the victim.
"We have to change our thinking and move away from victim blaming," Mrs. Holstein said. "Until we can shift the focus away from the victim to the offender society will continue to be hurt and attackers will never be held accountable for their actions."
USAF. (U.S. Air Force Graphic by Rosario "Charo" Gutierrez)