We’ve been being educated on the importance of protecting yourself and your friends from sexual assault and potential sexual offenders since we were in high school. Don’t wear a crop top and shorts because you’ll be “asking for it.” Don’t walk home alone or some guy may jump out of the alleyway and declare you his next victim. Our parents, teachers, and media have been drilling this into girls’ heads for years, but does anyone else see the problem with this picture? Rather than educating girls on how to keep themselves safe, why don’t we devote more time and effort into talking to the boys and teaching them to respect girls instead?
With the rising presence of sexual assault on college campuses, it’s more important than ever to educate students and provide more programs that help not only with prevention of sexual assault but also finding safe places and resources for victims to go to and use. As reported by CNN, a recent study showed that 23% of college female students reported to being a victim of sexual assault. Twenty-three percent. That’s more than 1 in every 5 women.
Look around your campus and I guarantee you will come across girls all over who have had similar troubles as victims of sexual assault. Although rape is the worst form of sexual assault, there are other kinds, too, that people don’t tend to think about as often. Unwanted kissing and touching in any way are also considered acts of sexual assault. Eleven percent of sexual assault victims reported to being victims of unwanted penetration or oral sex while on various college campuses, including many Ivy League and Catholic schools.
