A linking word that expresses contrast but in a positive context

Solution 1:

The placement of "fortunate" directly prior to the phrase "a crime like rape" would be unfortunate, indeed. Instead, open your second sentence with the conjunction "Because" and relocate "fortunate", as in the example below.

This fact raises questions as to how to approach rape in other universities, where incidents have never been publicized. Because a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through peoples' attitudes and behaviors, even if there are no publicized incidents or statistics, some signs can, fortunately, be identified in any given campus where rape is a prominent occurrence

Solution 2:

"This fact raises questions as to how to approach rape in other universities, where incidents have been never publicized. Fortunately, even if there are no publicized incidents or statistics, some signs can be identified, in any given campus where rape is of prominent occurrence, because a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through peoples' attitudes and behaviors."

Now we have "fortunately" clearly associated with what is indeed fortunate for the answering of the questions referred to in the first sentence, and not unfortunately appearing to be associated with a terrible crime.

Solution 3:

I'd suggest you stick to "fortunately". There's nothing informal about the word and it has a positive meaning.

"Fortunately, there is growing awareness of how a rape case must be treated to prevent the victim from suffering additional consequences inflicted by people's attitudes and behaviors."

I'd also suggest "hopefully" or "providentially" but I think "fortunately" fits best.

Edited the whole sentence to make sure that, contrary to what one of the answerers affirms, I never ever meant to give a positive connotation to rape.

Solution 4:

As +Centaurus has suggested, if you really wished to put a positive spin on rape, you would write,

Fortunately, a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.

But in writing that, be prepared to be thrown heaps of rotten eggs and tomatoes, because there is no fortunateness in being raped, or the manifestation about the tendencies of being raped.

One of the most used phrases for contrasting with a positive or neutral supplementing action is on the other hand, often shortened informally to OTOH.

On the other hand, a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.

Other suggestions,

• Distinctively, a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.
• Obviously, a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.
• Normally/usually, a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.
• Perceptively, a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.
• Evidently, a crime like rape is manifested within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.
• Evidently, a crime like rape is manifested distinctively within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.
• Without doubt, a crime like rape is manifested distinctively within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.
• Undoubtedly, a crime like rape is manifested distinctively within its social context through people's attitudes and behaviors.