babble » blogs » Strollerderby
Strollerderby
College Rape Prevention Programs Now Focusing on Men
Traditionally, rape prevention programs have been geared at teaching women to minimize their risk of sexual assault. Now colleges around the country are beginning to implement a new prevention program that focuses more heavily on making men see the horror of sexual assault and their potential to prevent a third-party attack.
At the heart of the program, pioneered by John D. Foubert, is a “graphic and disturbing” video that depicts a male-on-male rape. The Chronicle of Higher Education writes: “According to his research, Mr. Foubert says, the video increases men’s aversion to rape while casting them not as potential abusers but as ‘potential helpers’ who can help prevent assaults.”
I applaud this shift in rape prevention focus to teaching men positive behavior, as opposed to simply teaching women to avoid men’s negative behavior. But I wonder if such a shocking video is the best way to do this. As someone who can’t sleep for weeks after watching any depictions of violence, I’m not sure how I’d feel about my son participating in such a disturbing exercise. And more to the point, I worry that this technique reinforces the thinking that rape is black-and-white, making men believe that if they’re not being violently forceful, they can’t possibly be committing rape.
On the other hand, a disturbing exercise like Foubert’s may be the only way to reach those young men who are most likely to commit a violent sexual assault. And if the video makes it less likely that even one man in the room will rape a woman late in life, it is certainly worth showing to all college students. Indeed, Foubert’s organization claims that 75 percent of “high risk” men report a diminished likelihood of sexually assaulting someone after going through the program, but I take this number with a grain of salt since the effectiveness of such programs is, for obvious reasons, incredibly difficult to evaluate.
How would you feel about having your son participate in a rape prevention program like Foubert’s?
Image: Jezebel
Go Back To Strollerderby
7 Comments
Alison commented on Nov 23 09 at 1:32 pmI believe I am raising a boy who will identify as a feminist and will be respectful of all people and their human rights. But I imagine there are mothers of rapists who believed they were doing the same thing. How graphic and disturbing is this video? Is it more graphic and disturbing than rape scenes of women in movies? More graphic and disturbing than some of the violence in video games? Somehow, I imagine the graphic and disturbing nature of the video isn’t the violence and isn’t the rape, it is the fact that men find themselves identifying with the victim instead of the attackers. That isn’t a bad thing.
Bunny commented on Nov 23 09 at 2:00 pmYeah, I can’t help but see this as a good thing. If rape is as common a problem on campus as people claim, then at the very least, every man on campus should know that while he, personally, might never think of doing such a thing, other men on campus are thinking it and doing it – and every man has the ability to stop them.
Eric commented on Nov 23 09 at 5:13 pm“Foubert’s organization claims that 75 percent of “high risk” men report a diminished likelihood of sexually assaulting someone after going through the program”
Thanks for giving me a good laugh. I wish I could set the metric used to measure my job performance too!
Knitty commented on Nov 23 09 at 6:28 pmWhenever anyone trots out an article about “what women can do to prevent rape” I always see red. I’ve long demanded that instead of articles about what women can do (making us responsible for the behavior of men and by extension at fault when we’re unable to “prevent” a violent assault) the lectures should be aimed at men. Hey guys! If you see a woman walking alone at night, don’t follow her. Don’t shout creepy things at her. Don’t stalk her. And if a woman decides that she’d rather not have sex with you, don’t rape her!
Manjari commented on Nov 23 09 at 6:55 pmWhat Knitty said!
Lula commented on Nov 25 09 at 12:12 pmAnd to add to Knitty’s great comment: “Hey guys! When you see another guy or group of guys talking smack or doing something crappy and/or scary to a woman or group of women, tell them to back off! When you hear your buddy talking about getting a woman drunk or high so he can have sex with her, tell him to back off! When you see your non-altered buddy leading an altered woman into a bedroom or private area at a party so he can have sex with her, intervene!” Men respond to male peer pressure. Men holding other men accountable for sexual harrassment and assault is a key factor in reducing sexual violence towards women (also gay men, but that’s another topic)
www.womenspeakoutnow.com commented on Nov 29 09 at 5:06 pmhttp://womenspeakout.wordpress.com/
http://www.womenspeakoutnow.com/(Wo)Men Speak Out™ is a non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating rape, sexual assault and gender violence. We seek to educate both men and women, cultivating healthy relationships and gender equity.
Add your take:
Note: Babble is a supportive, diverse community. We encourage a range of opinions,
but any unduly hostile comments will be removed.
Comments are delayed up to 15 minutes
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
The Walt Disney Company supports Babble as a platform dedicated to honest, engaged, informed, intelligent and open conversation about parenting. However, the opinions expressed on this site are those of individual parents/writers and do not reflect the views of Disney. In addition, content provided on this site is for entertainment or informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or safety advice.
7