Campus sexual assault reporting, Part 2: introducing Callisto
We continue in today’s blog post with a topic we initially broached last week that has been termed “a hot topic in higher education.”
Unfortunately, and as noted in our September 11 entry, that subject has nothing to do with anything salutary that is occurring on college campuses in California or elsewhere across the country. Rather, and tragically, it concerns the high number of women students who are being sexually assaulted and who are not reporting — or are identifying only in extremely tardy fashion — their assailants.
A quick recap on some very sobering numbers: Reportedly, about 20 percent of female college students in recent years have been victims of sexual assault. Shockingly, fewer than one out of 10 women who are assaulted ever report the matter to police or college officials. And when they do, it takes them about 11 months on average to come forward.
They’re scared. Many feel humiliated, helpless and overwhelmed.
A woman who knows those feelings well — she was sexually assaulted on a California campus and waited more than a year to report the incident — has created an online assault reporting system that she hopes empowers victims and encourages them to come forward.
The tool is called Callisto. It is a website that enables victims to document precisely what happened to them, accurately date the assault, learn about next-step resources, evaluate options and report attackers.
The attraction of such a resource is obvious. A victim can literally take a breath and then interact with Callisto before having to deal directly with authority figures asking probing questions.
Callisto engagement is “a way to reflect before you go to someone in person,” notes one commentator.
The tool is currently being tested on select California campuses, including the University of San Francisco. A former high-level official at USF says that he expects the introduction of Callisto at the school to result in about a 50-percent increase in assault reports this year.
Serving clients throughout the Greater Los Angeles and Southern California area, we represent victims in a variety of civil litigation cases. If you or a loved one has been injured, turn to an experienced Los Angeles personal injury or sexual assault lawyer.
Find out more about Taylor & Ring.