The “Rape Vans” - Stop Calling Them That!!!

Guest comment by Bryan R., SBI Health Education intern

You take a stroll down a frigid Main Street and hear the murmur of the students as they discuss their different modes of transportation home. Many of them slightly inebriated; ready for some pizza and their beds. If you listen in on their conversations, nine times out of ten, somewhere along the way the “rape van” will come up in conversation.

As a senior here at the University at Buffalo, I have far too often heard the Anti-Rape Task Force Safety Shuttles falsely referred to as the “rape vans.” The Anti-Rape Task Force (ARTF) was started in the late 70’s for women by women as a walk station located specifically on South campus. Over the years, it expanded to walk stations on both North and South Campus, and Safety Shuttles that run within a mile and a half radius of South Campus.

When I was a freshman living on South Campus, I vividly remember all my friends waiting inside the lobby of Goodyear Hall on frigid Buffalo nights waiting for what all the referred to as the “rape vans.” But why did they call it that? The main focus of ARTF is to help protect and provide safety services to students of the University at Buffalo, and help protect against rape. The vans are designed as deterrents of violence.

The misnomer has been passed down from student generations to generations. When I went out and polled friends who used to call it the “rape van” why they did so, they replied, “That’s what everyone else called it!” When receiving this response over and over again, each time I chuckled and thought to myself: if only these students were actually educated about rape, and how many people around them have been or will be raped or sexual assaulted at some point within their lifetimes. I had one friend suggest that perhaps as every student exits the van, or if a joke about rape or sexual assault is overheard on the van, that they receive a pamphlet with real statistics like the ones below, and maybe that will be a start:

The Facts (courtesy of RAINN.org):
• Between 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 college women experience a completed or attempted rape during their college years (National Institute of Justice, December 2000).
• 1 in 6 women in the U.S. has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. (National Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1998)
• “Almost two-thirds of all rapes are committed by someone who is known to the victim. 73% of sexual assaults were perpetrated by a non-stranger (38% of perpetrators were a friend or acquaintance of the victim, 28% were an intimate and 7% were another relative.) (National Crime Victimization Survey, 2005)”
• 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape (National Institute of Justice & Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 1998)

So, would this work? Would passing out facts like these help students to
realize that rape and sexual assault is NOT a joke, that ARTF services are benefiting them and helping to keep them safe, and that the term is offensive and wrong? Until someone finds an answer, the legacy of the “rape vans” will move onto the next incoming freshman class and the ones following on behind them.

Recovering from Sexual Assault

Being assaulted is not your fault. If you have been assaulted, get help from someone who you trust, whether it is the police, a friend, a rape crisis center or a relative. Don't isolate yourself because you have no reason to feel guilty, and, most importantly, don't try to ignore it. Rape, even by someone you know, is a crime and a violation of your body and your trust. Counseling and support groups can be helpful to deal with the emotional trauma caused by rape.

How to be supportive in the wake of an assault

"My sister was raped by a family friend, but I am not sure whether I should believe her…"
Whether it's you or someone you know, the effects of rape can be widespread and have the ability to affect groups of people, not only the victim. If someone you know is raped…

• Believe the person.
• Offer comfort and support. Go with him or her to the hospital, police station, or counseling center.
• Let him or her know they are not to blame and they are not alone.
• Encourage him or her to report the crime.

"I am strong, I am a survivor…how do I fight back to make sure this doesn't happen again?"
Taking a stand against rape can be one of the best things you can do to help yourself or anyone else you know that could possibly become a victim of this crime.

• Ask your student government or a parent group to sponsor a workshop on date rape and sexual stereotyping for students. Work with a hotline or crisis center to persuade rape survivors to join the workshop.
• Volunteer at a rape crisis center or hotline.
• Monitor the media for programs or videos that reinforce sexual stereotypes. Write or call to protest. On the other side, publicly commend the media when they highlight the realities of date rape.
• Ask college or professional athletes or other role models to talk to high school students about sexual stereotyping and responsible behavior.