by Amanda Moore

According to the National Institute of Justice, “Nineteen percent of the women reported experiencing a completed or attempted sexual assault since entering college.” What’s even scarier is that 35 percent of those assaults were not reported. Sexual assault is far more frequent than I imagined and I think it needs to be brought into the light. That is the goal of the Obama administration’s 1 is 2 Many campaign.

1 is 2 Many is a public service announcement featuring the president, vice president and male celebrities like Steve Carell, Daniel Craig and Dule Hill. In the PSA they speak about sexual assault and how it is affecting women across the United States. They also explain that sexual assault is when you do not have consent or if the women can’t consent. They recommend that if you see sexual assault happening that you try to stop it or do something about it.

Too many times, the victim is blamed

I was personally surprised to hear them mention people often blame the victims. Women are often blamed for being sexually assaulted, whether it’s because they were drunk or because of what they were wearing. I have heard too many people say, “She was asking for it.” It’s time that people are taught, “Do not sexually assault,” rather than “Don’t get sexually assaulted.” Sure, it is great to be aware of your surroundings and to watch your drink when you go out on weekends, but we as women should not have to live in fear of being sexually assaulted. We should feel free to dress as we please and go out without being scared that if something happens that we were “asking for it.”

Sharing it on Twitter

The White House and Vice President Joe Biden took to Twitter to release the video with the hashtag #1is2Many. Twitter is a great medium for them to broadcast this campaign because that is where they can reach many college students whom they are targeting. The White House is taking a step in the right direction with this PSA and I am excited to see what they have in store for the rest of the campaign. I believe that transparency on this issue will only benefit the situation. If women feel like there are people out there who support them, then maybe they won’t be afraid to report when they are assaulted. Then they won’t be worried that someone says, “She was asking for it.”

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Photo credit: whitehouse.gov