Obama targets college sexual assault in new campaign
President Barack Obama will announce his sexual assault awareness campaign Friday. The plan, called "It's On Us," is meant to challenge everyone on campus to actively engage in preventing sexual assault.
The White House Task Force To Prevent Students from Sexual Assault will announce model policies for schools by the end of September.
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Presidential aides point to research shows that men are often reluctant to speak out against violence against women because they believe other men accept it, and that Obama and Biden hope to set an example by speaking out to help change social norms.
The event comes as students are settling in for a new year on campus and follows other White House efforts that have been helping raise awareness about the problem that typically remained in the shadows. Research has shown that one in five college women is assaulted, most victims know their attackers, alcohol or drugs are often involved and only 12 percent of college women attacked report it to police.
The government's PSA on the issue:
Learn more about sexual assault on campus:
• A Columbia Student Is Carrying A Mattress Until Her Alleged Rapist Leaves Campus (Business Insider)
• The Start Of School Is Not The Only Risky Time For Campus Rape
It's the combination of alcohol consumption and students who are on their own for the first time that can make the first few weeks of school particularly dangerous. (NPR)
• Feds raise pressure on campus rape
Reports of campus rapes are up significantly, but it's unclear whether those higher numbers represent more crimes or simply a greater willingness to report them. (The Daily Circuit)