According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, 1 in 5 females are sexually assaulted by the time they reach the age of 24. Females aged 16-34 are at the greatest risk of assault.
Sexual assault is defined as sexual contact that occurs without the explicit consent of each individual involved. This includes acts such as rape, fondling, incest and statutory rape.
Men of the Movement was a presentation by LU Planned Parenthood Generation Action group targeted toward men in an effort to encourage them to take a larger role in the prevention of sexual assault.
Walter Robinson, ’18, was one of two males in attendance.
“My first year we were introduced to all this during orientation,” Robinson said. “I wanted to become more involved. I just didn’t have the time.”
Robinson recounted when his friend told him she was assaulted.
“Now that I understand how close to home it is, I know I need to do something,” he said.
Robinson hopes to continue his involvement by learning how to better help survivors of sexual assault.
Five acts of sexual misconduct were reported on Lehigh’s campus in 2014. Three acts were reported the year before. According to the Spring 2014 National College Health Assessment, a national survey consisting of about 80,000 students at 140 institutions, 3.9 percent of females reported an attempted rape and 2.5 percent reported rape. Another 8.9 percent of female students reported unwanted sexual touching.
Samantha Randall, ’18, the founder of LU Planned Parenthood Generation Action and a member of Break the Silence, said the discrepancy in numbers could be because people do not know what is considered gender violence.
“They don’t know it’s gender violence, so they don’t report,” Randall said.
Another reason may be people don’t want to get others in trouble. It’s important, however, to report these crimes, otherwise those who commit such acts will most likely commit them again, Randall said.
Organizations such as Break the Silence and the Women’s Center hosts events with the purposes of educating students and raising awareness about topics such as sexual assault.
During first-year orientation, Break the Silence puts on a presentation called Off the Hook, which discusses numerous topics including sexual assault and how to report it on campus.
“It’s difficult to shove everything about sexual assault and sex ed in an hour,” Randall said. “We should have Off the Hook and a sex ed program.”
Randall said she believes educating and changing the mindset students have when they first come to Lehigh would greatly decrease sexual assault on campus. Having a campus filled with students who are informed about sexual assault would make it easier to change the climate.
Break the Silence began a bystander intervention campaign, which was mentioned in Men of the Movement.
The presentation broke intervention down to make it simpler for people to understand and know how to take action. Recognizing a potentially dangerous situation is the first step. Then, one has to assume responsibility and find a way to help. The last step is to take action.
Jason Sadler, ’18, the other male in attendance, said an indirect way to help someone is to call them or have a friend call them. This can give them a reason to move away from the assailant.
A direct way would be to go up to the aggressor and tell them that they are acting inappropriately and making someone uncomfortable.
Some people do not feel comfortable intervening because they could possibly make a mistake.
“No one’s willing or comfortable addressing this problem because it’s a sensitive topic,” Robinson said.
Randall said the stigma around masculinity perpetuates gender violence. Often males don’t that know what they are doing is considered gender violence, and they will stop once they are told.
“All the socially constructed ideas, like ones that men have to be the ones that pursue women, they have to be the ones to buy the drinks,” Randall said. “That enforces rape culture because the guy thinks he has to keep trying because ‘it’s my job as a man to get a woman.'”
Randall said to change campus culture, students have to keep pressing these sorts of issues.
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