One in five women are sexually assaulted while in college in United States
Foreign students contribute about $24 billion annually to the U.S. economy. (Photo: AP)
Washington: The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a series of steps to address the alarming rise in sexual assaults on college campuses, with fresh report showing one in five women are sexually assaulted while in college.
"Colleges and universities need to face the facts about sexual assault. No more turning a blind eye or pretending it doesn't exist. We need to give victims the support they need ? like a confidential place to go ? and we need to bring the perpetrators to justice," Vice President Joe Biden said.
According to the White House, most often, sexual assault happens during the freshman or sophomore year.
In the great majority of cases, it's by someone she knows ? and also most often, she does not report what happened. And though fewer, men, too, are victimized, said a White House fact sheet.
The Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault, which President Barack Obama formed in January, announced a series of actions today to identify the scope of the problem, help prevent campus sexual assault, help schools respond effectively when a student is assaulted, and improve, and make more transparent, the government's enforcement efforts.
The White House has launched a dedicated website ? www.NotAlone.gov ? to make enforcement data public and to make other resources accessible to students and schools.
On the website, students can learn about their rights, search enforcement data and read about how to file a complaint.
The website will also help schools and advocates:?it will make available federal guidance on legal obligations, best available evidence and research, and relevant legislation.
The Department of Education is releasing answers to frequently asked questions about schools' legal obligations to prevent and respond to sexual assault.
Among many other topics, the new guidance makes clear that federal law protects all students, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, immigration status, or whether they have a disability.
It also makes clear questions about a survivor's sexual history with anyone other than the alleged perpetrator shouldn?t be permitted during a judicial hearing, and also that a previous sexual relationship doesn?t imply consent or preclude a finding of sexual violence.
And that schools should take steps to protect and assist a survivor pending an investigation.
The Departments of Justice and Education have entered into an agreement to increase coordination and strengthen enforcement.
In addition, the White House is also releasing a sample agreement between schools and rape crisis centers, so survivors have a full network of services in place.
The task force, led by Biden and the White House Council on Women and Girls, canvassed assault survivors, college administrators and others for ideas on how to respond to a phenomenon researchers have found: that one in five women is sexually assaulted in college.
( Source : PTI )
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