A Renewed Call to Action to End Rape and Sexual Assault

[sheshe2]

As part of an unprecedented national effort to address alarming rates of sexual assault on college campuses, President Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum today to establish the “White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault." The taskforce will be charged with sharing best practices, and increasing transparency, enforcement, public awareness, and interagency coordination to prevent violence and support survivors. The creation of this Task Force builds upon the President’s 2010 call to action, which urged the federal government to support survivors and aggressively take action against sexual assault.

The statistics around sexual assault in this country are nothing short of jarring. A report just released by the White House Council on Women and Girls entitled, “Rape and Sexual Assault: A Renewed Call to Action” reveals that nearly 1 in 5 women, and 1 in 71 men have experienced rape or attempted rape in their lifetimes. These statistics are stunning, but still can’t begin to capture the emotional and psychological scars that survivors often carry for life, or the courage needed to recover.


President Barack Obama signs the Campus Sexual Assault Presidential Memorandum during a White House Council on Women and Girls meeting in the East Room of the White House, Jan. 22, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

snip

With time, and eventually, the aide of a psychiatrist, and friends and family who she felt comfortable sharing her story with, Lauren began to find her way back. Every survivor’s story, and the challenges they face is unique, but ‘unique’ in this case, unfortunately does not mean rare. Lauren’s story is the story of millions of women, and one that we must never forget. In the years since, she has used her voice and her writing to raise awareness and advocate for other survivors. She is doing everything in her power to make sure that women know that what happened to her is wrong and inexcusable. It is deserved by no one. And it is her right to tell her story without shame or fear. Lauren is not alone, and we should all join in her in making sure that no one facing this kind of pain ever feels that they are.

We all have roles to play in preventing experiences like these. Through better education and awareness training for our young women. Through the improved mentorship and socialization of our boys and young men. Through the empowerment of bystanders to recognize dangerous situations and to speak up.Through improved survivor support services, and more victim-centered incident intake and justice response policies on our campuses.


President Barack Obama, with Vice President Joe Biden, delivers remarks during a White House Council on Women and Girls meeting in the East Room of the White House, Jan. 22, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/01/22/renewed-call-action-end-rape-and-sexual-assault?source=socnet_fb_WMN_20140123_wfo_renewed-call-action-end-rape-and-sexual-assault_potus_1&utm_medium=socnet&utm_source=fb&utm_campaign=socnet_fb_WMN_20140123_wfo_renewed-call-action-end-rape-and-sexual-assault_potus_1&utm_content=20140123_wfo_renewed-call-action-end-rape-and-sexual-assault_potus_1

[Tx4obama]

1. WOW what a link :) A shorter version below...

Here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/01/22/renewed-call-action-end-rape-and-sexual-assault


p.s. Everything up in the OP in the link after the '?' is unnecessary.

[sheshe2]

9. Thanks TX for your comments on the link...

The article was pretty outstanding too, don't you think?

The White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault builds on federal efforts already underway which seek to break devastating cycles of violence on campuses, and around the country. For example:

In 2012, the federal government issued a revised definition of rape that includes rapes of men, and which better reflects the realities of sexual assault. This new definition will improve our understanding of where and how often this crime occurs.

In 2011, the Department of Education and Vice President Joe Biden announced historic guidance to help schools understand their obligations to prevent and respond to campus sexual assault, as well as increase federal compliance and enforcement actions.

President Obama signed a reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in March 2013. The revised legislation includes protections for LGBT, Native American, and immigrant victims that experience some of the highest rates of violence. VAWA also funds specialized training for law enforcement and prosecutors. In order to support survivors in the healthcare system, the legislation increases funding for specially trained sexual assault nurse examiners.

Awesome! VAWA!

Protecting the unprotected. Supporting the victims.This is indeed how it should be done!

[Tx4obama]

12. I am very happy to see folks finding and reading your OP...

... not many noticed the one I posted on Thursday...

This one...
Obama WH Memorandum -- Establishing a White House Task Force to Protect Students from Sexual Assault
Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251349888

I think it sometimes takes multiple forums and multiple posts in order for folks to not miss out on important news

[sheshe2]

13. Tx~

Do you know how many times I posted on passing VAWA? When it was up for a vote, we had so much outrage on DU at that time on other PBO issues. VAWA never mattered. It sunk every damn time.

Me and so many others, they sank like a stone. It was so disheartening.

I made it personal one time after reading another OP that died. It was for signing the petition for VAWA to pass. I spoke of my own experience.Yes that got attention. It saddens me that there is more passion on how to make Obama fail here than it is to right the wrongs.

Sorry your post sunk, yet together we have a voice.

[William769]

2. Bravo!

[sheshe2]

6. My dear William,

Thank you for supporting PBO's initiatives on this. He stands for Women!

Boggles my mind that this has to be a fight. I will never understand that women in 2014 are fighting for their lives, their rights and their place in this world. We are amazing human beings that deserve respect. Is it so hard to understand?

For some, yes the GOP, I guess that it is. Guess they have no women in their lives. No mothers, sisters or daughters. They promote this with their unceasing rhetoric . They are despicable!

William for your support!

[Cha]

3. K&R, she.. sorry I don't have

time to read this now.. bookmarking.

Thanks for all your work on getting this information out to the Public!

[sheshe2]

8. No worries~

Cha

[Cha]

11. Mahalo, she~

[freshwest]

4. Our First Feminist President. Thanks. Obama. n/t

[sheshe2]

7. Yup!

Gotta love PBO!

freshwest...

gotta go soon.

[defacto7]

5. Big K&R

[DreamGypsy]

10. The report released by the White House Council on Women and Girls is available...

... here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/sexual_assault_report_1-21-14.pdf

Thirty-eight pages. It's worth reading.

A few excerpts:

An overview of the problem:

Women and girls are the vast majority of victims: nearly 1 in 5 women – or nearly 22 million – have been raped in their lifetimes.

Men and boys, however, are also at risk: 1 in 71 men – or almost 1.6 million – have been raped during their lives.

and

The Economic Costs. Although the economic costs of rape and sexual assault are hard to quantify and the data is limited, the existing research indicates that the costs are great. Various research studies have examined the quantifiable cost per rape, accounting for such costs as medical and victim services, loss of productivity, and law enforcement resources. Researchers also generally agree that intangible costs, such as decreased quality of life, though difficult to monetize, are also a necessary part of the cost calculus for sexual assault. (Many researchers, in fact, believe the intangible costs are especially high in cases of sexual assault, due to the serious physical and mental health consequences for survivors.) Each of the studies we examined used a somewhat different methodology, but all found the costs to be significant – ranging from $87,000 to $240,776 per rape.

Clearly, the true impact of a rape is the consequence...physical, mental, emotional...for the survivor. However, 'monetizeation' does give the problem a concrete perspective. If this country is willing to absorb the cost somewhere between 2.03 and 5.61 trillion dollars for the societal impact of the of 23.3 million rape victims, then a substantial effort for prevention, education, and correction is a good investment for our future.

[sheshe2]

14. Time to stop the violence DreanGypsy!

Way past time!

Thanks for the link.

[Lunacee_2013]

15. Good for our President & V.P. Rec, nt.

[Cha]

16. Kick!