Patterns of Assault

3 minute read

Eliza Gray was well into reporting our cover package about the problem of sexual assaults on U.S. campuses when another story of sexual violence began to spread, first in the form of local alarms but eventually as a global siren of horror and outrage. The kidnapping of 276 Nigerian schoolgirls by Islamic terrorists, who threatened to sell them as sex slaves, was the most theatrical commission of a crime that occurs every day. Belinda Luscombe’s story explores the roots and growth of sex trafficking and modern slavery, which by some estimates now affects 21 million people worldwide. The attack in Nigeria by Boko Haram (whose name roughly means “Western education is forbidden”) was one more reminder of the mortal risks that girls in some countries can face when they set off on the road to freedom that an education represents.

Against that backdrop, the challenge facing American colleges trying to deal with sexual violence can seem to be an almost academic debate over definitions and discipline. How do you balance the rights of victims and the accused, or understand the forces that lead to sexual violence, when universities themselves are often reluctant to investigate the scope of the problem? But a culture of denial yields its own mythologies, and while there can be debate over the nature of consent, the role of alcohol and the proper balance of crime and punishment, that does not mean there are no specific steps universities can take to make their campuses safer for both women and men. Gray, whose last cover story explored the hazards of synthetic pot, is passionate about stories that expose misconceptions, and she reports them relentlessly to puncture the myths.

Nancy Gibbs, MANAGING EDITOR

NOW ON LIGHTBOX

In 1994, 25-year-old Alexander Chekmenev got a simple assignment: to take passport photos of citizens of Luhansk, in newly independent Ukraine. But Chekmenev, a Luhansk native, took the opportunity to expose in stark detail the squalor the former Soviet Union had tried to keep under wraps, especially in the homes of poor, elderly residents (left). His “Passport” series repudiated communism and won a top European documentary-photography prize. To see more, visit lightbox.time.com.

NOW ON TIME.COM

How popular will your name–or your child’s name–be in 25 years? In order to find out, TIME’s Chris Wilson analyzed the popularity patterns of hundreds of names throughout history. Below are a few of his predictions. Plug in your name at time.com/babynames.

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2014

Evelyn

Last peaked in 1919; next predicted peak in 2023

Henry

Last peaked in 1881; next predicted peak in 2024

Theodore

Last peaked in 1919; next predicted peak in 2025

Harrison

Last peaked in 2000; next predicted peak in 2026

Genevieve

Last peaked in 1915; next predicted peak in 2031

Margaret

Last peaked in 1916; next predicted peak in 2035

2040

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