New York (AFP) – The accusations of gang rape of a Cornell University student have shined a spotlight on sexual violence on American campuses, from the culture of fraternities that encourages it to the responses frequently deemed insufficient.

Published on: 02/10/2026 - 22:40

In the United States, a quarter of female bachelor's degree students and one in fourteen male students indicated that they had been victims of forced sexual contact or without the possibility of consent, according to a study of 33 establishments, published in 2020 by the Association of American Universities.

The months following the start of the school year are described as a "red zone" during which a large number of attacks occur, particularly against first-year students, during parties where participants have easy access to alcohol and drugs.

At Cornell, the alleged events occurred in October 2024. The plaintiff, then 20 years old and a second-year student, claims to have been drugged and raped by seven members of the Chi Phi fraternity.

These all-male student associations, present throughout the country, have been criticized since the 1990s for encouraging sexist and sexual violence.

In addition to their control over party events on campus, “men who seek to join a fraternity tend to be more prone to sexual assault and more likely to embrace rape myths,” writes the JED Foundation, dedicated to youth mental health, in a 2024 report.

Abolish fraternities

This observation, as well as hazing and accusations of racism, regularly give rise to calls to abolish fraternities and their female equivalents, sororities, whose members are more exposed due to their proximity.

Bans and suspensions, however, remain rare because former members of these organizations are part of influential networks and represent an important source of income for universities, observers note.

The alleged victim at Cornell was in a sorority herself. According to an investigation by the New York Times, she said she gradually became aware of having been raped, notably through discussions with her "sisters", before filing a complaint three weeks after the incident.

The prosecution did not, at the time, follow up on it, the elements transmitted by the police showing consensual reports, according to the prosecutor of Tompkins County (northern State of New York), where the campus is located.

The fraternity was closed and the students received sanctions ranging “up to and including expulsion and suspension,” a university spokesperson said.

“The case has sparked a lot of debate about the flaws in the response and I feel, from what I can see, that the Cornell case is very representative,” comments Jennifer Freyd, a psychology researcher who has studied institutional responses to people who have suffered violence within them.

Investigation reopened

The University of Oregon professor urges establishments to “take whistleblowers seriously” and “recognize (their) courage”. It's not a question of "believing them without investigation" but of "not brushing things under the rug", she insists.

Ms. Freyd also wants universities to take full ownership of the subject, by dedicating semester courses to it and funding research.

Shiwali Patel, of the National Women's Law Center, regrets the lack of "comprehensive sex education, adapted to the stage of development of children, from a very young age, including consent."

The investigation into the Cornell affair is now reopened, after the complainant took legal action in civil court, attracting the attention of the media and numerous personalities.

A sign of the importance taken by this file, it was entrusted to the Attorney General of New York, Letitia James, famous for her investigations against Donald Trump and ex-governor Andrew Cuomo.

The state's governor, Kathy Hochul, has also committed to reforming a controversial law that makes it difficult for a victim to have rape recognized if she previously consumed alcohol or drugs of her own free will, as is the case here.

This legal gap, which exists in around twenty American states, must be filled to “allow victims to come forward and know that they will be safe,” urges Shiwali Patel.

© 2026 AFP

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