Sexual Assault
One in five women is sexually assaulted in her lifetime.
That statistic is unnerving; it signals that a woman in college is likely to be sexually assaulted. The ever-present possibility of being raped has become a common thought on college campuses. Rape culture has seeped into college culture and has become almost commonplace.
While sexual assault affects women and men, women are more likely to be victims of sexual assault. According to a 2011 Gallup poll, a mere 62 percent of women in the United States felt safe walking alone at night, whereas 89 percent of men felt safe. Although it shows those who felt safe were in the majority, the statistic still leaves 38 percent of women who feel susceptible to danger while walking alone at night. Statistics like these indicate the severity of sexual assault in our society.
In response to the outcries, social activism groups and crime statistics, the White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault released its first report Monday with guidelines for university officials across the United States to adopt in order to combat sexual assault on their campuses. The guidelines suggest universities conduct surveys about sexual assault, increase sexual assault awareness and education, and improve incident reporting.
President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden can be commended for raising the nation’s awareness of a problem that pervades young people’s lives all too much. However, why are the White House and government officials just now addressing the problem?
Sexual assault and rape have been in society much too long for government officials to just start paying close attention. According to the Sexual Assault Awareness Month website, the first Take Back the Night marches, which focus on protesting the violence women face walking alone at night, began in the 1970s in England. The first Take Back the Night walks in the United States occurred in 1978 in San Francisco and New York City. That was more than 30 years ago, and the White House didn’t start to pay attention until now.
Rape and sexual assault as part of young people’s lives is not new. The whistle regarding sexual assault on this campus has been blown long before the White House released its Task Force guidelines. Raising awareness on these issues has long been delayed.
The White House is playing catch-up. Along with the task force’s guidelines, the government created a website, NotAlone.org, which will maintain a list of resources universities officials and victims can use. A public service announcement featuring the slogan “1 is 2 Many” was also created, showcasing several male celebrities, including Biden and Obama, calling men not to be part of the problem of sexual assault, but to be part of its solution.
Sexual assault has become too big of a problem, and it needs to stop. Despite the White House’s late arrival to the solution, it’s not too late to bring the nation together to raise awareness and end sexual assault, and hopefully with the Task Force and campaign, we can eliminate sexual assault together. Because “1 is 2 Many.”
