It takes more than a T-shirt to end sexual assault
Question: I’ve been hearing so much about sexual assault on college campuses, and I’m wondering what these campaigns are all about?
Sexual assault has been getting a lot of attention lately, especially with President Barack Obama pushing for college campuses to adopt the “It’s On Us” Campaign for the past year.
Max Cowan | Argonaut
Answers to questions regarding university policies, procedures and student life
Campaigns like this one are designed to promote awareness about sexual assault and help change the college culture contributing to the statistic of one in four women who will be sexually assaulted during their college career.
These campaigns are great at making us come together and feel better about what is happening around us. Through signing a pledge, we feel like we are in this together, working toward ending sexual assault.
Unfortunately, these campaigns don’t go far enough. It is unreasonable to think liking a Facebook page or wearing a T-shirt will really change people’s attitudes and beliefs. This doesn’t mean these campaigns serve no purpose, however.
They are a fantastic first step in getting individuals involved in important issues. But to pretend signing a pledge will single handedly end sexual assault does more to hurt the cause than help it.
Looking at the facts of sexual assault, we see what steps we need to take beyond building awareness. The majority of perpetrators of sexual violence are repeat offenders. These offenders average six rapes or attempted rapes each. A huge challenge is ensuring these acts of violence do not go unpunished.
To move toward more perpetrators facing repercussions, we need to make sure we have knowledge about the process of reporting sexual assault. This is more than just raising awareness about the issue itself, but the specific knowledge of who to go to when an assault occurs.
While reporting these crimes to the Dean of Students Office or the police ensures an investigation will take place, many survivors of sexual assault are wary of this path. There are many resources available for survivors for confidential advice and counseling. Students can learn more about these resources through the Violence Prevention Programs at uidaho.edu/vpp.
Further, we have the power to help prevent sexual assault. Most sexual assaults involve alcohol, making parties fertile ground for sexual assault. In these settings, we have the opportunity to be active bystanders, intervening when we see something concerning. Programs like Green Dot train individuals to recognize these warning signs and provide the skills necessary to intervene.
Awareness campaigns only go so far. We have to be sure we don’t grow complacent by thinking these are a solution to the problem of sexual assault.
They are a fantastic first step and are absolutely necessary for getting more students to recognize our shared responsibility in ending sexual assault. From awareness comes action, and it is this transformation from passive understanding to active intervention that will help end the problem of sexual assault.
Max Cowan can be reached at [email protected]