Rape is an uncomfortable topic. Most people are not aware of the severity of this devastating dilemma that has plagued our nation and are unable to distinguish truth from myth when faced with this subject.
Many organizations are dedicated to preventing sexual assault and helping those who have been victimized. However, an all-male organization called “One in Four” has taken on a unique and more effective way of promoting rape awareness and prevention.
Founded in 1999 by four graduates of the William and Mary College in Virginia, the organization adopted its name from the frightening statistic that from age 14 through the first year of college, one out of every four women will report being raped or nearly being raped. As frightening as that statistic is, it fails to factor in the multitude of rapes that go unreported each year.
Because so many people do not know the facts about rape, “One in Four” seeks to educate men and stop the violence.
“As I see it, our program has two main purposes,” said Peter Thaxter, a member of the group, in an interview with the student newspaper of William and Mary College. “The short-term purpose is to educate men on sexual assault and to teach them methods on how to help a sexual assault survivor. The longer term goal is that by instilling knowledge, empathy and compassion in the men of this campus and other colleges, they will learn how horrible and destructive rape is and will help stand against violence towards women.”
The men of “One in Four” come from diverse backgrounds, yet they all joined together with one goal in mind: to make a difference. “One in Four” is an extension of the National Organization of Men’s Outreach for Rape Education, Inc., otherwise known as NO MORE.
The group’s predecessor is sponsoring them on a national tour across the U.S., in hopes that their services will one day no longer be needed, one day when there will be no more rape.
The men of “One in Four” travel to different colleges, high schools, and community centers across the U.S. to educate men on how to help rape victims recover from their traumatic experience, and the facts about rape itself so they can help prevent it from happening in the future.
Most often, the groups program caters to an all-male audience and sticks to the same agenda: defining sexual assault and rape, a police-training video, a discussion on how to deal with rape, how to help a victim, and a question and answer session.
Here are some quick facts about rape that you may or may not know: Ninety-nine percent of rapists are male, and 60 percent of those rapists are Caucasian. Over 90 percent of rape victims are female, and between 62 and 84 percent of rape survivors know their attackers. Forty-two percent of rape survivors tell no one about the rape.
Forty-one percent of college women who are raped are virgins at the time. Females ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault than those of other ages. Seventy-five percent of men and 55 percent of women involved in acquaintance rape drink or take drugs just before the attack.
With college-age victims, 60 percent of rapes occur in the victim’s residence, 31 percent in other campus living quarters and 10.3 percent take place in fraternity houses. The adult pregnancy rate associated with rape is estimated to be 4.7 percent.
These statistics were provided by the FBI and NO MORE’s own evaluations.
To learn more about sexual violence or the organizations helping to prevent it, visit NO MORE’s website at www.nomorerape.org. Anyone can help make a difference.
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