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<blockquote data-quote="Dannyalcatraz" data-source="post: 6865977" data-attributes="member: 19675">The adage, &quot;Many hands make light work.&quot; applies here.By couching the discussion in general, social terms, the problematic behavior of individuals within the group becomes a community enforcement issue.&nbsp; As in, you may not be part of the problem, but you're being asked to consider what you can do to be part of the solution.Part of the problem with sexual assaults in ANY community is the issue of proof.&nbsp; That's one of the root reasons why law enforcement officers of all kinds tell women* to be careful at &quot;Greek&quot;/Frat events...and apparently, at gaming and Cosplay cons as well.&nbsp; Unless there are objective witnesses- other attendees, security cam footage, or even something someone caught on their smartphone- it is damned difficult to bring any offender to justice.&nbsp; And frat brothers and geeks seem to share a common code of silence regarding this behavior.In that link that started this thread, it was mentioned that some guy always got gropey after a few drinks.&nbsp; This was well known...except to his victims.&nbsp; What if a just a fraction of those around that person had spoken to authorities?&nbsp; Or in public?I'm thinking he has fewer victims, and possibly gets the punishment- and help- he needs.Ditto most of the public fondling issues she recounted.&nbsp; What are the odds that NOBODY witnessed ANY of the occurrences...or heard an offender talk about it later?So peacekeepers- even those not inclined to dismiss such claims out of hand- are in a bind.&nbsp; False reports DO happen, but we also know that sexual assaults are under-reported.&nbsp; Weighing a claim of assault vs a wall of silence from potential witnesses- and the risk of lawsuits if the claim is actually false- contributes to extreme reluctance.The solution is simple- see it, hear it, report it.&nbsp; But it is a lot easier said than done.* and minorities</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Dannyalcatraz, post: 6865977, member: 19675"] The adage, "Many hands make light work." applies here. By couching the discussion in general, social terms, the problematic behavior of individuals within the group becomes a community enforcement issue. As in, [b]you[/b] may not be part of the problem, but you're being asked to consider what [b]you[/b] can do to be part of the solution. Part of the problem with sexual assaults in ANY community is the issue of proof. That's one of the root reasons why law enforcement officers of all kinds tell women* to be careful at "Greek"/Frat events...and apparently, at gaming and Cosplay cons as well. Unless there are objective witnesses- other attendees, security cam footage, or even something someone caught on their smartphone- it is damned difficult to bring any offender to justice. And frat brothers and geeks seem to share a common code of silence regarding this behavior. In that link that started this thread, it was mentioned that some guy always got gropey after a few drinks. This was well known...except to his victims. What if a just a fraction of those around that person had spoken to authorities? Or in public? I'm thinking he has fewer victims, and possibly gets the punishment- and help- he needs. Ditto most of the public fondling issues she recounted. What are the odds that NOBODY witnessed ANY of the occurrences...or heard an offender talk about it later? So peacekeepers- even those not inclined to dismiss such claims out of hand- are in a bind. False reports DO happen, but we also know that sexual assaults are under-reported. Weighing a claim of assault vs a wall of silence from potential witnesses- and the risk of lawsuits if the claim is actually false- contributes to extreme reluctance. The solution is simple- see it, hear it, report it. But it is a lot easier said than done. * and minorities [/QUOTE]

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