Rape victims offer advice to today's college women

If you are already in college or headed there, sit down. If you're the parent or friend of a student, listen up.



One in five college women will be raped, or experience an attempted rape, before graduation. Less than 5 percent will report these crimes to officials on or off campus, and, when they do, there's a good chance the system will let them down.


These shocking statistics were first issued nine years ago in a study conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice. Federal laws are in place to require schools to act on these allegations and look out for the rights of victims.


But a recently released investigative journalism series indicates that when it comes to dealing with sexual assaults, many higher-education institutions aren't making the grade. The investigation was done by the Center for Public Integrity, a Washington-based nonprofit that says it seeks to make institutions more transparent and accountable.


"Schools are aware it's a problem, a big problem," said Kristen Lombardi, the center's lead reporter for Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice. She pointed to a "culture of silence" and said critics say, "The biggest sin is one of omission. They're just not dealing with this issue head-on in a public manner with their student bodies."

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/12/15/sexual.assaults.college.campuses/index.html

I have notice that im hearing alot of rape stories of women on college campuses... so i think this is a helpful article for women & men to check out on CNN....