CALCASA Stands with Raliance for an Education Free From Sexual Violence

September 22, 2017 |
Valor

Friday the United States Department of Education issued interim guidelines regarding Title IX. CALCASA stands with national partners in our commitment to preventing and ending sexual violence. Below is a statement from RALIANCE in response to the Title IX updates. Here is a link to the Raliance statement on their website.
CALCASA is a national partner of RALIANCE a collaborative initiative dedicated to ending sexual violence in one generation.
Raliance Statement on Department of Education Guidance on Sexual Misconduct
September 22, 2017
The Department of Education’s interim guidance on campuses responding to sexual misconduct
is a disheartening step backwards that emboldens victim-blaming attitudes and behaviors, fails
survivors and parents, and will render our schools less safe.
The research is clear that campus sexual assault is widespread and devastating. Numerous
studies have found that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men will experience sexual assault while in
college. Prior to the Department’s 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter, victims were frequently
overlooked and campus sexual assault lived largely in the shadows. As a society, we were
accustomed to allowing student survivors to bear the brunt of the emotional, financial and
social costs of having their educational experience marred by sexual violence. Now, there is no
doubt that millions of individuals throughout the country, especially students, have benefited
from Title IX’s important protections against gender discrimination in education.
Title IX is clear that educational institutions have a responsibility to prevent the things that
create hostile environments, including sexual violence. Given the widespread prevalence of
sexual violence among high school and college aged students, it is unthinkable for any
institution to abandon this responsibility. We call on federal, state and local policymakers to
hold institutions accountable for their campus culture and strengthen systemic responses to
sexual assault, and we commend the universities and schools who are reaffirming their strong
commitment to addressing and preventing sexual violence.
We want survivors, parents, and schools to know that as advocates, we won’t go backward. We
stand with every survivor, and we will continue to fight for the policies, culture, and safe
communities they need to heal and thrive. All students have the right to an education free from
sexual violence. Together, we can build a world in which that right becomes a reality.