There were a lot of questions and comments that were brought up after the presentation. One was why is rape not considered a crime. Someone even went so far as to imply apps like this and WASP make things harder for victims because they add more stigma to the people who are hurt. I wholly disagree with that belief. I would assume, ideally anyway, that people would report their assaults and then use the services provided by CHAT. Apps like CHAT work to help victims feel more comfortable after something traumatic has happened to them. So the connections they make with their counselors and the people their counselors refer them to speak with can provide a sense of strength and courage that could possibly even lead to more reporting of sexual violence on campus. In my opinion, there is no added stigma. It is added strength. In a world where victims are routinely blamed for the tragedies done to them, I believe a counter to this mode of thinking is absolutely necessary. Colleges and universities face disproportionate amounts of sexual assaults because of the primary systematic culture ingrained into society. Combating that culture head on may be difficult and imperfect, but still extremely paramount.
Saturday, April 30, 2016
CHAT Is Innovative
The app Colleges Highlighting Assault Today is a brilliant attempt at trying to curb the effects of rape culture, especially on college and university campuses. The project started with the definition of rape and an audio-visual breakdown on what exactly consent is, as well as a video that spoke about the sexual pressure that affects people within our age group. The app features a personal diary that a victim could write entries into that would be monitored by the university's counselor. The application had personal videos that encouraged the people to search within themselves for their strength to overcome the atrocity that has happened to them. A really stand out component of CHAT is its Donations page. Unlike the one for WASP, the project I worked on, this button takes users to the a place where they can donate to other charities that would assist in the fight against rape culture. The distinguishing concepts that made CHAT unique are also the Google Maps section and the Talks section. With the Google Maps segment, it tells people about the physical services available nearby the school in which the victim attends. The Talks sector of CHAT allows users to view the services provided at other universities. That way in case a victim feels the need to transfer, they can know how sex crimes at their prospective college will be reported and things like safety.
There were a lot of questions and comments that were brought up after the presentation. One was why is rape not considered a crime. Someone even went so far as to imply apps like this and WASP make things harder for victims because they add more stigma to the people who are hurt. I wholly disagree with that belief. I would assume, ideally anyway, that people would report their assaults and then use the services provided by CHAT. Apps like CHAT work to help victims feel more comfortable after something traumatic has happened to them. So the connections they make with their counselors and the people their counselors refer them to speak with can provide a sense of strength and courage that could possibly even lead to more reporting of sexual violence on campus. In my opinion, there is no added stigma. It is added strength. In a world where victims are routinely blamed for the tragedies done to them, I believe a counter to this mode of thinking is absolutely necessary. Colleges and universities face disproportionate amounts of sexual assaults because of the primary systematic culture ingrained into society. Combating that culture head on may be difficult and imperfect, but still extremely paramount.
There were a lot of questions and comments that were brought up after the presentation. One was why is rape not considered a crime. Someone even went so far as to imply apps like this and WASP make things harder for victims because they add more stigma to the people who are hurt. I wholly disagree with that belief. I would assume, ideally anyway, that people would report their assaults and then use the services provided by CHAT. Apps like CHAT work to help victims feel more comfortable after something traumatic has happened to them. So the connections they make with their counselors and the people their counselors refer them to speak with can provide a sense of strength and courage that could possibly even lead to more reporting of sexual violence on campus. In my opinion, there is no added stigma. It is added strength. In a world where victims are routinely blamed for the tragedies done to them, I believe a counter to this mode of thinking is absolutely necessary. Colleges and universities face disproportionate amounts of sexual assaults because of the primary systematic culture ingrained into society. Combating that culture head on may be difficult and imperfect, but still extremely paramount.
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