THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COLLEGE BASED RAPE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Rape and sexual assault in college campuses are quite serious problems. in order to reduce the victimization and the incident of sexual assault, rape prevention education programs have implemented for at least a decade in the united states. this study examines the effectiveness of two specific types of college rape education programs. the first types of programs are rape prevention programs that aim to change the attitudes that participants hold toward rape through education. the second type of programs include self-defense training for college women. the studies assessing the effectiveness of such programs are evaluated according to their scientific methods. finally, the results of effective programs are presented. results show that rape prevention education programs that aim to change a person’s attitude toward rape and aggression have been found to be effective in the short-term. studies do show that as a result of self-defense training, women feel more confident; however, more research is to be done to better understand the effect of self defense program to prevent sexual assault and rape.