By Elliot Cohen
Throughout college campuses sexual assault awareness is growing, and fifty five colleges are under investigation due to sexual violence complaints. Not only are students beginning to understand what sexual assault is, they are also beginning to act upon it and raise awareness throughout their communities.
Sexual assault is involuntary which means that the victim is forced into actions that they are fully against, and this has been a problem for many colleges in the recent past. As federal investigators check deeper and deeper into the matter, they see a lot of room for improvement on their part.
The long list of schools contains colleges and universities from 27 different states. The list is very diverse and contains schools anywhere from UCs to Ivy Leagues. The different colleges and universities are handling this issue with total seriousness. They also are providing victims with the proper care and help they deserve. Students and Faculty are the leading activists for raising awareness.
Vice President Joe Biden , a big advocate of raising awareness for sexual assault, commented on the need for male support when he said, “We are never going to solve this epidemic until we get men involved.” Since women are the primary victims it is crucial to get men to stand up for increased awareness. This is the main concern to most Sexual Assault awareness groups.
Advocates are trying to get people to understand that standing up is all right, and to speak up when one hears something that doesn’t sound okay. One of the leading advocate groups, 1is2many, is run by the White House and stands for reducing violence against women. They provide information on different statistics regarding sexual abuse. For instance, “19% of women reported experiencing completed or attempted sexual assault since entering college.” 1is2many also provides resources that victims can take advantage of. The even include a hotline number: (1-866-331-9474). What they are desperately trying to convey is that we should all be taking action against abuse weather its abuse of just telling a friend about it; it can all help. There are also several apps that help spread awareness. Two of the most popular apps are Circle of 6 and On Watch.
Another more creative way to stand up for Sexual Assault is through social media. Many groups are being created on Facebook and Twitter that are helping get the word out. All it takes is a simple post that gets the word out and that person could have saved someone by just pressing down on the Enter key.
April 30th marks the end of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). SAAM is symbolized by the teal ribbon. The goal of SAAM is to raise awareness among communities and individuals on how to stand up and prevent sexual violence. There are many ways that you can get involved and be part of the group of people that are reaching out and trying to help others in need. We can all be a part of the cure.