Sexual assault is intercourse that takes place without the consent of one of the participants. It may happen in different contexts, yet the most common cases show that usually the situations are related to alcohol or drug use, and almost always victims are familiar with rapists (Hewitt et al., 2019). There is little protection for most people in specific occasions when sexual assault can happen that should be identified, and their possibility should be minimized. Doing work in this direction is the best way for colleges to help their students stay safe, and the most efficient tool to implement it is giving information. Spreading knowledge on how to avoid such situations if the potential victim has suspicions that something is going to happen is an important yet not the only way to prevent sexual assault.
There are other various topics that students can be guided about to help themselves or others in such situations. For example, students should be advised to practice safe alcohol use as many sexual assaults happen due to the vulnerability of a victim due to the intoxication, and the ones assaulting are more confident, decisive, and impulsive in their actions while intoxicated (Ford, 2017). Possibly, they would be more hesitant to assault someone if they were sober. Therefore, drinking in the company of slightly familiar or unfamiliar people should be done as carefully as possible.
Additional guidance should be provided on how to help others if they are sure or at least suspect that someone is going to be or is being sexually assaulted. Students can intervene on their own and distract the potential victim from the dangerous situation. This can be made by simply asking to help them with something or assisting in exiting the situation by finding reasons to leave. Besides, possible to ask a friend of a potential victim to interrupt if a person at risk does not have enough trust to the one who is concerned.
Reference
Ford, J. V. (2017). Sexual assault on college hookups: The role of alcohol and acquaintances. Sociological Forum, Vol. 32, No. 2, 381-405.
Hewitt, A. N., Beauregard, E., & Davies, G. (2019). An empirical examination of the victim-search methods utilized by serial stranger sexual offenders: A classification approach. Journal of interpersonal violence, 34(21-22), 4522-4549.