Over the past thirty years, the number of criminal hazing statutes across the United States has increased markedly. Hazing is often dangerous and may even result in death; still, prosecutions for hazing are rarely successful, and many college students appear to accept hazing as part of the campus social experience. Sexually exploitative hazing on college campuses, notably in sororities and fraternities, particularly puts students and institutions at risk. The physical and psychological abuse of younger Greek life-affiliated students by more senior members both humiliates and endangers the victims. Indeed, some Greek organizations and members are charged with hazing crimes as a result. However, rarely is anyone found liable. The features of sexually exploitative hazing have all the earmarks of sexual harassment: older members use sexual assaults to keep younger members subordinated by feminizing them or, in the case of men, challenging their ability to conform to a hegemonic masculine stereotype. Sorority and fraternity hazing’s role in maintaining that hegemonic masculinity is often understood as “tradition” and therefore a “rationally” perceived as a rite of passage. However, sexual hazing is neither rational nor an initiation rite; it is a potent tool to subjugate another through fear and intimidation.

Little research on sexual hazing exists, and much of what has been written on the subject focuses on athletic team hazing. Understanding the cultural context of sexually exploitative hazing is critical. This paper aims to address the void by helping prosecutors understand how sexual hazing operates as well as barriers to successful sexual hazing prosecutions and strategies to overcome those barriers.

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