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 WHAT
IS SEXUAL ASSAULT?
Sexual Assault is a crime of violence, power, and
control. It occurs when a person is forced, threatened, coerced,
intimidated or manipulated into sexual contact they did not want. It
includes any kind of unwanted sexual contact. Sexual assault is not
about sex, lust, or passion. Its an act of power, control, and violence
used to dominate and humiliate another person. Because many people
believe that only forcible rape by a stranger is sexual assault, victims
(and others) sometimes blame themselves for the feelings they have after
an assault, especially if they were assaulted by someone they know.
Having a better understanding of sexual assault can help survivors of
assault, and the people close to them, understand why they feel the way
they do.
Eighty percent of all sexual assaults are committed by
someone the victim knows - a date, a neighbor, a co-worker, a family
member, a spouse. Rape or sexual assault by someone the victim knows is
as serious a crime as rape committed by a stranger.
We cannot explain why sexual assault happens to some
people and not to others. Many victims believe they did something to
cause the assault. No one asks to be assaulted. No one deserves to be
assaulted.
WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?
Sexual Assault is an invasion of a person's control of
their own body, and can be a humiliating and terrifying experience. Some
people fear for their lives. In other cases, a sexual assault may not
seem life threatening, but still affect the survivor in all aspects of
life. Survivors may experience many feelings - including numbness,
disbelief, shock, shame, fear, anger, and guilt. Following an assault a
person may:
 | be afraid to go out or stay home alone |
| have memories that disrupt work and daily life |
| have no appetite; or want to eat all the time |
| not be able to cry; or cry all the time |
| not be able to trust anyone |
| be depressed, suicidal, or have panic attacks |
| avoid friends and family |
| feel crazy, helpless, or worthless |
| drink or abuse drugs |
Most of all, a person feels that the control of their
own body and life has been taken away. Someone who has been assaulted
often wants to have the sense that he/she is once again in control of
his/her choices, decisions, and actions.
*Above information extracted
from the Virginians Aligned Against Sexual Assault Brochure (www.vaasa.org)
and the Sexual Assault Resource Agency (www.sexualassaultresources.org).
PROFILE OF A RAPIST
Using methods not unlike those employed by FBI
profilers to predict the behavior of serial killers, police and forensic
psychologists have identified four profiles of rapists defined by
motive, style of attack and psychosexual characteristics. The
characteristics of each of the four rapist profiles:
| Power-assertive rapist:
Athletic, has a "macho" image of himself. More often than not, this is
the type who commits date rapes. He typically meets his victim in a bar
or nightclub. Instead of targeting a specific victim, he looks for an
opportunity to get a woman alone with him, perhaps with an offer of a
ride home or an invitation back to his place. Or he may con his victim
into trusting him or letting him into her home. Approximately 44 percent
of rapes are committed by power-assertive rapists. He is physically
aggressive, and will use the amount of force needed to control you --
but he does not intend to kill you. |
| Anger-retaliatory rapist:
He feels animosity towards women and wants to punish and
degrade them. He may be a substance abuser. He is impulsive and has an
explosive temper. He looks for an opportunity to commit the rape rather
than for a specific victim. He attacks spontaneously and forces the
woman into submission. Thirty percent of rapists fall into the
anger-retaliation category. Any level of resistance may well
enrage him and cause him to beat the hell out of you until he gets what
he wants. |
| Power-reassurance rapist:
He lacks the self-confidence and interpersonal skills to develop
relationships with women. He is passive and nonathletic. He may live or
work near his victim, and "preselects" her by peeping or stalking, then
breaks into the home to accomplish his act. The power-reassurance type
accounts for 21 percent of rapists and is the least violent. |
| Anger-excitation rapist:
A sadist, who derives sexual gratification from inflicting pain. He is
typically charming and intelligent. The crime is premeditated and
rehearsed methodically in his mind before it is attempted. His victims
may or may not be strangers. f the four types he is the most criminally
sophisticated and it's difficult to catch him. Just five percent
of rapists fit this description. |
*Above information extracted
from: http://www.paralumun.com/issuesprofile.htm.
COERCION BY A PREDATOR
Coercion is the practice of compelling a person to
involuntarily behave in a certain way (whether through action or
inaction) by use of threats, intimidation or some other form of pressure
or force. Coercion may typically involve the actual infliction of physical
or psychological harm in order to enhance the credibility of a threat. The
threat of further harm may then lead to the cooperation or obedience of
the person being coerced. This definition of coercion is imbedded in the
UVA definition of Sexual Assault.
At UVA, several of the male undergraduate students accused of
committing sexual assault during the past few years demonstrate "predatory
behavior". Many of these males have been identified to the
Administration and accused multiple times of committing rape. Excerpts from a recent public on-line blog
postings by a UVA male (accused of committing rape) show that he is a
predator – he and his roommates have one goal - to go out at night, drink, and target drunk women
for sex. None of his blogs talk about passion, romance, or even foreplay -
only predatory bar behavior, the physical act of sex (which fits the
description of "power assertive rapist" above), and comments that they
never see the women again.
Move
out
day in Charlottesville …We have packed up our boxes and … we four
agree that we should spend the night in Charlottesville and party at the
local bar, The Biltmore our end goal is to meet up with … 4 girls ...
So we walk, we are pretty inebriated but we have been given good intel
that they are going to be there. So we... walk in and immediately head
to the front of the bar and order 4 Jaeger shots and make a salute to
college. Downing the shots they order 4 mixed drinks of Beam and Coke
(the signature drink of the group). In doing so, XXX catches the eye of
one of the (girls) … After last call the four girls invite (the four
males) back to their sorority house to dance [excuse used to get the
invite back to the house]…. Everyone hooks up ….The guys get up early
that morning and drive away from Charlottesville [never to see them
again].
And the very Next Day….
Arriving home in No VA … Staying in a hotel ... We got the
party going with our signature drink 4 shots of Jaeger…We are all above
6 feet so we can see over the group of girls and a young brunette
catches my eye … So I pull my pattened PLI move (Person of Least
Interest). I then use tools from the Metro Sexual Guide to Style and
continue to briefly flirt with her but look at myself in the mirror
continuously… I then began to show more interest … We then take more
drinks and head to dance floor .…We did what you do in a hotel and I
left the next morning and never called her again….As a side note I am
getting ready to break up with my girlfriend so I can start doing this
thing legit.
Each blog entry talks about a conquest. All entries
involve alcohol. These UVA grads empower themselves by bragging about
these conquests in the online blogs for the public to read as if they were
validation of manhood. The young men’s behavior, which was condoned during
the college years by the UVA Administration (the place where it could have
been identified and stopped) now spills in to the workplace of a large DC
firm. Predatory behavior is deviant behavior. They don't "grow out of it".
It must be treated professionally.
This website has not even delved into the reality
that these predators may be spreading sexually transmitted diseases
because of the large number of sexual partners they've had. With an
increase of media coverage about HPV and cervical cancer, why aren't males
accused of sexual assault automatically tested for STD's? Males exhibit no
symptoms as HPV carriers; it can only be detected through a blood test.
Why shouldn't women know if their attacker is a carrier of HPV?
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This website was
created to inform
Parents, Students, and Alumni about the
University of Virginia's ineffective response to the crime
of sexual assault. Support
"ZERO TOLERANCE FOR RAPE!"
Alumnae and Undergrads:
We are seeking information on the following:
1) Witnesses for a pending lawsuit that involves a UVA
Alumni. If you (or someone you know) were made to have non-consensual sex with
the male pictured on the homepage anytime during 2003-2006, you
may be able to provide key evidence for an upcoming civil trial.
2) Survivors - Did you take your case to the Albemarle Commonwealth
Attorney Rick Moore, only to be turned away? Were you upset by any of the comments
made to you by the Police or Commonwealth Attorney's office? During a Take
Back the Night Rally, several women shared comments about the comments
made to them by these offices. We'd
like to chat with these women and explore the similar way the cases have
been handled.
Contact us
immediately because IF YOU STAY SILENT, NOTHING WILL CHANGE. ALL
comments and tips will be treated with complete anonymity. Send your
e-mail to
uvarape@cox.net.
It's the right thing to do.
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Contact
uvarape@cox.net
Created to support all UVA Victims of Rape and Sexual Assault.
Site Information last updated on 30
Aug 2007.
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