Myths and Facts about Sexual Assault and Harassment
Myth: Victims bring Sexual Assault onto themselves. If they didn't flirt with the perpetrator, didn't dress so revealingly, or didn't get drunk, then they wouldn't be assaulted.
Fact: Sexual Assault can happen almost anywhere, any time, and to anybody. Just because someone flirted with you, dressed revealingly, or was drinking heavily, does not give you the right to force sexual acts on them.
Myth: You can easily spot a sexual perpetrator. They look creepy and they give out a lewd vibe, just like the way they are portrayed in movies.
Fact: Sexual perpetrators usually do not look like "perverts" on the outside. There are no specific or obvious traits that reveal what a potential perpetrator looks or acts like. They come in all shapes and sizes: Ranging from a successful professional, or a nice bartender, to a homeless person wondering the streets.
Myth: Rape only happens to sexually promiscuous people. It would never happen to me or anyone I know.
Fact: In fact, almost one in four female college students will get raped or sexually assaulted in her college career, and almost one in three women will get raped in her lifetime. Therefore, most of us probably know somebody who has been raped. The personal characters of the victims do not justify the criminal motives of the perpetrators. No one deserves to be raped.
Myth: Girls should not go out alone at night or talk to strangers if they don't want to get raped.
Fact: Actually, about 95% of rape is acquaintance rape; only 5% of rape is done by strangers. This doesn't mean that you should not trust your acquaintances, it merely means that on top of being careful about going somewhere by yourself or late at night, also don't let your guard down when you are at a party with people you think you know.
Myth: Victims who don't scream or call out for help during sexual assault is because they secretly love it.
Fact: Under a strange and horrifying situation like rape, it is hard to decide the best way to defend oneself as it is difficult to remain calm and do the most rational thing. Also, most of the time a perpetrator would threaten the victim by saying "if you scream, I'll kill you." And sometimes, victims are just too terrified and cannot fully comprehend what is going on. In short, sexual assault is unwanted, and should not be carried on just because the victim is too fearful to vocalize her disgust, does not mean he or she enjoys the act.
Myth: Since people enjoy sexual attention, there is no harm in moderate sexual harassment such as name calling or whistling.
Fact: Even if some sexual attention is desired by some people at some times, many people hate inappropriate sexual attention. It is degrading. For example, not everyone enjoys being called "Nice rack" when they are on their way to school.
For more information on the myths and facts about Sexual Assault please check out the UCSB women's center website.