ENOLA, Pa., April 2, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In response to President's Barack Obama's plans to prevent campus sexual assault, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC), along with the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR), have released their recommendations for addressing sexual violence on campus. The recommendations, which were submitted to the White House Task Force to Protect Students in March, are being released publicly in conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
According to the White House report, Rape and Sexual Assault: A Renewed Call to Action, one in five women have been sexually assaulted while in college, and 63 percent of men who admitted to committing rape/attempting rape said that they had committed an average of six rapes each (White House Council on Women and Girls, 2014). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey, one in 71 men have been raped at some time in their lives and one in 21 men have been forced to penetrate someone else during their lifetime (Black et al., 2011).
Sexual violence can undermine a student's academic career, creating an economic and social ripple effect over the course of their lifespan. While the individuals, who commit these crimes, need to be held accountable, the NSVRC and PCAR know that they do not commit sexual violence in a vacuum. In fact, sexual violence is preventable; it is a learned behavior that is shaped by individual, relationship, community, and societal factors (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2014). Therefore, NSVRC and PCAR believe that in order to prevent these crimes, universities need a culturally-relevant, comprehensive plan that engages the entire campus community on multiple levels — from recruitment to graduation.
"Effective prevention and response efforts hinge on meaningful collaborations among campuses and local, state, and national sexual assault organizations," said Karen Baker, NSVRC Director.
To read NSVRC and PCAR's comprehensive recommendations to the White House Task Force, visit http://tinyurl.com/motbm5b.
PCAR, the oldest state anti-sexual violence coalition in the United States, works with 50 sexual assault centers across Pennsylvania. Founded by PCAR in 2000, the NSVRC identifies, develops and disseminates resources regarding all aspects of sexual violence prevention and intervention. For more, visit www.nsvrc.org and www.pcar.org.
REFERENCES
Black, M. C., Basile, K. C., Breiding, M. J., Smith, S .G., Walters, M. L., Merrick, M. T., Stevens, M. R. (2011). The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS): 2010 summary report. Retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control: http://www.cdc.gov/ViolencePrevention/pdf/NISVS_Report2010-a.pdf
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2014). Sexual violence: Risk and protective factors. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/riskprotectivefactors.html
White House Council on Women and Girls. (2014). Rape and sexual assault: A renewed call to action. Retrieved from http://iaclea.org/visitors/about/documents/WhiteHouseCouncil_sexual_assault_report_1-21-14.pdf