Sexual assault on campus in Argentina: ¿is a big problem?

SANTIAGO RESETT

Viena

Conferencia; International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS); 2017

International Convention of Psychological Science (ICPS)

Sexual assault is defined as a oral, vaginal or anal nonconsensual penetration. Victims of these assaults suffer from depression, stress, and, in some cases, suicide. Although university are places that increases wellbeing, sexual assaults on campus are a big problems and a significan challenge for college and universities in first countries. Thus, the vast majority of the research in this issue has been carried out in North America, North Europe, and Australia suggesting that in the United State the problem is bigger compared to other countries. For instance, in the United Sate a 28%-54% of college women suffered of sexual assaults. On the other hand, other studies with more conservative criterion found a 11%. In spite of the relevance of the problematic, in Latinamerican countries, such as Argentinean, research is almost nonexistent. So the present study aim to exploring the incidence of sexual assaults and features of assaults in a context understudies as Argentina. A convenience sample of 344 college students attending social courses of a private university in Parana, Entre Rios. A 59% was female and 41% was males; mean age = 21;4. A 25% attended first course; 22%, second course; 20%, third course; 18%, fourth course and the rest, fifth course. To measure sexual assaults we used some questions of The National Center for Campus Public Safe and some demographic questions (sex, age, etc.). Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured. Date was set up with Statistical Package for social sciences. A 4% of student indicated suffered sexual assault at least one time. The kind of attack the attacks ranged from persistent sexual advances or sexual messages by phone or internet to be touched in a sexual manner without consent as more severe. In all cases victims were female and student from the first courses. Aggressors were males of the same courses of the victims, with the exception that in one case aggressor was a employee of the university. With regard to the means used by the aggressor, for the two most serious events was a case of force and on the other the victim was intoxicated with alcohol and / or drugs. In all cases, the victims did not report the fact, believing it was not serious, that was useless and in one case because the victim believed to be guilty of the act. But the vast majority the victim talked about the incident with friends, boyfriend or mother. The fact that incidence of sexual assault was lower compared to The United State could be due to that in Argentina university do not have residence in which student can live or do not have facilities as gyms, so student spent less time interacting with other student. Also, in Argentina student do not organize fraternities. In the discussion, we provided further explanation of the results, limitations and suggestion for carrying out future studies.