Today is a big day for everyone who has been working for years — and many for decades — to see sexual violence prevention taken seriously in our country. And I mean real sexual violence prevention, not giving women (only) rape whistles and lectures about the buddy system, but prevention that focuses on education, bystander intervention, and changing cultural norms.
White House:
“It’s On Us” is the White House’s “new public awareness and action campaign designed to prevent sexual assault at colleges and universities, change the culture on our campuses, and better engage men in this effort.”
“The campaign is being supported by partners who plan to help spread the message, including the NCAA, several collegiate athletic conferences and media companies with reach among students. The NCAA plans to promote anti-assault messages on screens at their championship events. Video game maker Electronic Arts will encourage fans to sign up to pledge to support the campaign through its online platforms. And media giant Viacom will promote the messages on websites, including for music channels MTV, VH1, BET and CMT.
Visitors to the website are asked to turn their social media profile pictures into the shape of the campaign logo. They are asked to use their name, email address and zip code to pledge “not to be a bystander to the problem, but to be a part of the solution.” The information is collected by Generation Progress, the youth arm of the liberal Center for American Progress advocacy organization with close ties to the White House.
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 most victims know their attackers, alcohol or drugs are often involved and only 12 percent of college women attacked report it to police.”
NFL:
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center announces a multi-year partnership with the National Football League to address the far-reaching impacts of sexual assault and domestic violence. The NFL has pledged financial and in-kind support to the NSVRC for distribution to support state and local sexual assault hotlines. The NFL is also pledging support to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
“We applaud the NFL for taking sexual assault and domestic violence seriously. We look forward to partnering with them and think it is a great model for influential organizations to support the work of sexual assault victim advocacy programs at state and local levels to ensure safety for survivors,” NSVRC Director Karen Baker said.
As part of the partnership, the NSVRC will contribute resources that will be distributed to all NFL teams. The collaboration also will create ongoing opportunities to support people affected by sexual assault.
In August, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell publicly announced the league’s new policies regarding sexual assault and domestic violence. “We clearly must do a better job of addressing [domestic violence and sexual assault] in the NFL. And we will,” Goodell said.
“By partnering with experts in the field of sexual assault and domestic violence, the NFL could become leaders in changing the pro sports culture by promoting equality and relationships that exemplify respect and consent,” said Delilah Rumburg, CEO of NSVRC.
“The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides domestic violence victims and survivors access to a national network of resources and shelters. It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in 170 languages. Goodell noted that the hotline received 84 percent more calls from Sept. 8-15, and the organization said more than 50 percent of those calls went unanswered because of lack of staff.
The hotline will add 25 full-time advocates over the next few weeks that will result in an additional 750 calls a day being answered”
