I tell you education is the key to solve the sexual assault crisis

Everyday brings me more fodder to blog about on this terrible subject. It is currently a never-ending train of episodes:

“College Sexual Assault Survivors Form Underground Network To Reform Campus Policies”

“Soon after Clark filed the complaint along with others, news stories about it and the broader trend of sexual assaults on college campuses began to gain attention on the Internet. Clark, who graduated from UNC in 2011 and now lives in Oregon, began to receive emails and messages from students all over the country who shared similar experiences they endured at their schools -- and Clark kept notes. Now a visitor to her apartment can see stacks of folders and documents detailing assault victims' cases from Amherst College, Stanford, Penn State, Harvard, Yale and several universities in North Carolina. A map on her wall plots the schools geographically under a banner she's titled "The Bigger Picture" “

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/21/college-sexual-assault-survivors_n_2918855.html

“Dartmouth College Cancels Classes After Sexual Assault Protesters Receive Rape Threats”

“Some Dartmouth College students have received rape and death threats following their public protest against the school’s attitude toward sexual assault, racism, and homophobia. Dartmouth on Wednesday canceled its scheduled classes to address the growing crisis”.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/04/24/1911741/dartmouth-protest-cancels-classes/

I am glad to see that victims are banding together for support and trying to end this (as in the first article), but there are too many victims! That means there is a culture of rape that exists on too many college campuses.

What are we teaching our children at a very early age? Are we hiding these issues from them or are we trying to educate and coach them on the right thing? I remember the lessons from my parents, I remember my good teachers telling me “to always do the right thing”, but I also remember whispers about forbidden topics and incidents that no one would really talk about.

If we get in front of this problem and take it head on without worrying about politics, we can solve this! Where is the sense of urgency? This kind of violence will beget violence if we do not do something.

It is about protecting our young is it not?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam