Can you think of any better reading material than the statistics of sexual harrassment at your university? I can’t. It’s incredible. This photo states that in the past academic year alone, there have been 25 complaints within the university. (And that’s ONLY the cases that were reported! Remember, most cases are not reported!) The article accompanied by this picture talks about the experience of a person who reports sexual assault to the university. They are subjected to riddicule, humiliation, and often discouraged from going to the police and making an official report.
Here’s my question. Why is this happening in the 21st century? Have we not yet learned to believe victims of harassment and not to put them through “a second rape?” And why is this such a big problem in college campuses? We know we are not the only university in the world where this is a huge problem.
As we bask in the triumphs of modern feminism, we can’t forget that we still have a long way to go before full equality between men and women is achieved. In this case, I want to point out the difference in statistics in the sciences. As a female student of mathematics, in most of my classes the ratio of boys to girls is 7 to 1. I’m serious! It’s no wonder mathematicians have so much trouble dating. 🙂 The point being, there is already a gap between men and women in the sciences. I think, if we want to encourage girls and women to go into academics and study sciences, we need to first and foremost make sure that the college campus is a safe place for girls and women. And right now, statistics show that it is not.
So let’s change that. Let’s make the campus a safe place for female students and teachers. Let’s encourage girls to become educated by welcoming them warmly into the arms of academics and giving them the proper respect they deserve when we fail to protect them.
I call upon the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and its representatives to say, Guys, you can do better than a letter. I want to see you subsidizing self defense courses for you girls and women. I want to see seminars on the bystander approach, educating men and women how to discourage rape culture. I want to see people who report assault treated with respect and their perpetrators brought to justice. I want to see real strong male leadership. With those things, you can truly live up to your mission statement of being the best.
Liora Sophie
Student of Mathematics at Hebrew University
Liora Sophie 