Proposed tougher enforcement on alcohol to “curb sexual offences”
On 29 April 2022, the Straits Times reported that The National University of Singapore (NUS) is considering tougher enforcements on the consumption of alcohol in campus to curb sexual offences.
This comes after seven out of eight complaints of student sexual misconduct reported between July and December 2021 involved drinking, NUS said in its latest report on such complaints involving students and staff. https://t.co/GTNhFyoLG9
— Ericssen (@EricssenWen) April 29, 2022
These considerations have arisen out of the fact that seven out of the eight sexual misconduct cases in NUS in the latter half of 2021 involved drinking. As things stand, the consumption of alcohol is already largely banned in the University.
Reactions from Students
When NUS students were asked by the Sunday Times whether the University should ban alcohol to prevent sexual assault, many said that this missed the point. “Sexual assaulters don’t need to be drunk to carry out the act. If they have the intention, they will do it”, said a second-year communications student. This same student added that she knew of at least five other cases of sexual misconduct in halls that did not involve alcohol.
Drinking in halls can sometimes lead to sexual misconduct, but alcohol curbs will be hard to enforce: Undergrads https://t.co/F3stvTMI3i
— The Straits Times (@straits_times) May 7, 2022
Another student argued that the blame should not rest on alcohol, but on the lack of education. As the Sunday Times reported:
A 19-year-old NUS business freshman said sexual misconduct often happens as a result of people not knowing how to navigate healthy relationships, and should not be attributed to alcohol.
Others felt that there should be harsher punishments for such acts, which will in turn create a strong deterrent.
Clinical psychologist Dr Carol Balhetchet noted that alcohol consumption helps numb and relax anxieties which brings about a greater degree of confidence and gives people “that sense of freedom to just do what they want.” Dr Balhetchet supports the stronger punishments against alcohol consumption but also said,
In any case, alcohol, even for adults, is not allowed in workplaces. And if alcohol is not allowed in workplaces, why should it be allowed in educational institutions?”
Reactions from Netizens
Some netizens also shared concerns about students drinking on campus:
The general sentiment from both Bony Sim and Catherine Dee is that students should be focusing on their studies. Sharan Kaur, a Twitter user, drew parallels between Channel Miller’s statements and the proposed measures.
why does this remind me of chanel miller's statementhttps://t.co/Ki9kEAfJr1 pic.twitter.com/DNuahsuHBu
— 🍍 __ 🙀 (@sharanvkaur) April 29, 2022
On Instagram the comedian Sharul Channa argued against the notion that alcohol is a “cause” of sexual misconduct:
Saying that alcohol causes people to act on sexual impulses is like saying that having a knife around causes murder, it’s like saying that having bubble tea shops causes diabetes in the country, it’s like saying having a husband causes headaches, it’s like saying Covid caused domestic abuse cases to rise in the country because the virus made people grow out extra hands to smack their spouses. You understand?
Educate the men to keep it in their pants. Education starts at home and in schools. Alcohol is just a convenient excuse.
Instagram user @madhuvjk agreed with Sharul Channa and said:
Reactions from AWARE and CASMIDA
AWARE, a gender-equality advocacy group, has also taken to social media to discuss the matter. “While institutions should keep taking strong measures to prevent sexual violence on campus,” an AWARE spokesperson said, “it’s important that we keep our focus on the true crux of the problem.” The spokesperson continued:
4. If an individual did not already have an innate desire to dominate a more vulnerable person, alcohol alone is not going to create that desire in him. The vast majority of people to consume alcohol, even to excess, do not end up committing sexual violence.
— AWARE Singapore (@awarenews) May 4, 2022
The root cause of sexual misconduct may go unaddressed when alcohol is used as an excuse. A spokesperson for CASMIDA, a group of independent researchers from NUS and NTU working on campus sexual misconduct and technology facilitated sexual violence, shared similar arguments.
📰We are cited in this @straits_times article on the issue of sexual misconduct and drinking in universities. https://t.co/AyvU4nrDjZ#CampusSexualViolence #CampusSexualMisconduct
— CASMIDA (@casmidaproject) May 8, 2022
Alcohol, the CASMIDA spokesperson argued, “does not create the intent to commit inappropriate acts. Ultimately, someone commits inappropriate acts out of their own conscious desire to do so.”
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