When our kids go off to college, there are stressful questions that run through any parent's head. Will they do well in their classes? Will they make friends with good people?
I'm a mother, and I know those questions well.
One question a parent shouldn't have to worry about is what the likelihood is their child will be sexually assaulted - and if, God forbid, that should happen, whether school officials will address the crime in a responsible way. But a nationwide survey of colleges and universities I conducted earlier this year paints a disturbing picture.
Forty-one percent of schools surveyed have not conducted a single investigation into sexual assaults in five years. Twenty-one percent provide no sexual assault response training for their faculty and staff. Law enforcement officials at 30 percent of institutions receive no training on how to respond to sexual violence, and 73 percent of institutions have no protocols on how the institution & law enforcement work together to respond to such violence. (national survey results available HERE)
If we're going to turn the tide against sexual violence, survivors must be protected, treated with respect and taken seriously. We need institutions to recognize sexual violence for what it is - a crime - and work to prevent and effectively address it.Last week, I was proud to lead a group of Senators from both sides of the aisle inintroducing the Campus Accountability and Safety Act. We stood alongside survivors and advocates, and with input from stakeholders across the country, we discussed how the legislation will protect students, and strengthen accountability for institutions.
But introducing the legislation was just the beginning.
Make your voice heard by joining the conversations on Facebook and Twitter by simply using the hashtags #notalone and #CASAct.
I hope you'll join us in this effort.
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