As the number of reports of sexual battery occurring in Westwood
increases every week ““ now totaling seven in the last month
““ it is clear the incidents have gotten more than a few
students shaken.
The first of these cases occurred on Dec. 15, 2005, and each
case has involved an unknown assailant who approached a female
student from behind, aggressively grabbed her breasts and ran
away.
And with composite sketches of the suspect tacked on dozens of
trees and UCLA Escort Services accommodating an increasing number
of requests, the recent incidents of sexual battery have given rise
to concern in the UCLA community.
According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network,
every two and a half minutes someone is sexually assaulted in the
United States. This month, UCLA students are facing more such cases
than in previous years.
A crime under California law, sexual battery is the intentional
touching of another person with the intent to satisfy a sexual
desire. It is also a violation of privacy and legally falls short
of rape because no penetration occurs.
“When you stop to think about it, it’s horrible. …
We all have a right to control who touches our body at what
time,” said Marybeth Roden, assistant director at the Rape
Treatment Center at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center.
Sexual battery can generate a wide range of emotional reactions,
from fear to anger to sadness, experts say.
Besides the actual traumatic experience of being assaulted,
victims can also experience flashbacks, lose their sense of
security and safety, and even start to feel responsible for what
happened, Roden said.
There is, in fact, often a tendency for victims to blame
themselves for what has occurred.
“What I want to hammer home is that the shame is not
theirs, but the person who did this,” said Tina Oakland,
director of the UCLA Center for Women and Men.
The Center for Women and Men offers free counseling and services
of interest to men and women. This quarter, the center will also
host three free self-defense workshops, open to anyone from the
UCLA community.
Another common response to sexual battery, one which has been
witnessed around campus, is minimization.
Whether it be denial or joking about sexual battery,
minimization can be a way of defending oneself from the fear or
stress of the situation, Roden said.
“I think a lot of times people might feel, “˜oh well,
what is the big deal?’ … But one of the worse things about
this kind of experience is the sense of powerlessness,” Roden
said.
Where once a student may have felt safe walking home from
school, now there can be extreme caution and distress, Roden
said.
The tendency to write off the suspect and his actions may have
also led to the recent under-reporting and delayed reporting of the
incidents.
Last week, two female students reported being sexually assaulted
by the suspect several days after the events had happened.
Nancy Greenstein, director of police community services, said
she urges anyone with additional information to come by the
university police station on Westwood Boulevard. Even delayed
reports can provide police with important information useful for
apprehending the suspect.
There is a high possibility that a number of female students
have been attacked, yet have refrained from filing a police report,
Roden said.
Some of the reasons victims of sexual assault do not file a
report include that they think no one will believe them, they will
be judged, or just want to put the past behind them, Oakland
said.
“Some might say “˜it was just a grab, some sicko, why
should I spend my time reporting?'” Oakland added.
Yet whether or not victims choose to report being attacked, both
Roden and Oakland said they feel talking to someone is
imperative.
Some victims may not even realize the degree to which they have
been affected until they speak to someone and flesh out their
feelings, Oakland said.
Speaking with a professional can be useful for some because they
get the opportunity to speak to someone who has counseled others,
will not blame them, and can help them understand what they are
feeling.
And whether it is speaking to supportive friends or
professionals, talking about the incident may help victims decide
if they are going to file a report.
Both Oakland and Roden encouraged reporting incidents of sexual
battery because each report gives the police more information they
can use to make an arrest. “It’s also important for the
campus to get a magnitude of what’s happening,” Oakland
said.
“We don’t judge people, whether they decide to
report or not, but we urge them to speak to someone about
it.”
The Center for Women and Men, in B44 of the Student
Activities Center, welcomes anyone seeking counseling or advice.
The Rape Treatment Center offers free professional counseling and
can be reached at (310) 319-4000.