Letter From The Editor

editor_20160415_0

According to numerous studies, 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men are sexually assaulted during college — disturbing statistics that we have seen play out nationally in the past few years in case after case. The one silver lining of all of that, though, has been that sexual assault has come to the forefront of national conversations, and policy makers and universities have become increasingly cognizant of the vulnerabilities of this particular population.

Locally, the Sex Abuse Treatment Center is in the midst of its [respect] Campaign, an initiative targeting teens and young adults. The campaign seeks to debunk myths about sex assault, raise awareness and equip people with tools to help prevent assaults.

What’s particularly notable about [respect], in my opinion, is the way that it frames the conversation — by making preventing sexual assault the responsibility of the entire community. Too often, sexual assault prevention rhetoric can devolve into victim-blaming. But [respect] reminds us, in the words of SATC educator David Nisthal: “It is not a person’s fault for another person’s actions.”

As organizers see it, the campaign’s goals extend beyond campus, and beyond April.

“This is only the beginning, and this is something that we all have to continue to do together,” says SATC’s Brooke Conway. “It’s going to take all of us to carry this movement forward and get to that culture of respect.”

See the story here.