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With so many sexual assault incidents rampant on campuses, we were wondering when our President would bring focus to this issue. He and Joe Biden, our Vice President have done just that.

Recently, the White House announced a sexual assault awareness campaign which would unleash a fight against this hidden menace with the support of men. Called “It’s on us” campaign, this fight would first spread awareness among students and teachers and everyone in the campus making them realize that it is their personal responsibility too.

The target of this campaign will particularly be on the male students mainly due to psychological reasons. According to a research study, male students usually hesitate to speak out against violence against women as they feel that other male members accept it as a part of life. By speaking out, Biden and our president hope of change social norms.

Sexual assault on campuses is an issue that continues to remain in shadows. With the forthcoming new year preparations on campuses, White House is all set to raise awareness on this problem.

According to the research study, among 5 college women, at least 1 is assaulted on campus. The study also shows that none of the women, even though they know the identity of the assaulter, are willing to speak out. Only about 12 per cent of women assaulted are willing to speak to the police as drugs and alcohol are mostly involved in this crime.

When Obama announced a task force that will deal with this issue, he said that the aim here is to make each and every male student on campuses aware and responsible. Whether they are in college, high school or junior high, every young man out there will be made to understand what it means to be a man and intervene if they find their peers acting inappropriately, he said.

He reiterated his commitment to making women and men understand that sexual assault cannot be accepted at any cost. In spite of the intense social pressure, our president says he stands behind every student who has the courage to speak out.

For the first time, in the month of April, colleges were pulled up for inappropriate handling of sexual assault cases by the US Department of Education. These colleges were exposed publicly and are today under Federal investigation.

To show victims how to file a complaint and seek local help, the NotAlone.gov website was created for enforcement action postings. The task force also recommended various actions such as gauging the sexual assault frequency on campuses through surveys and identifying advocates for the victims in a confidential manner.

On many campuses today, incoming students have to necessarily be a part of the sexual assault awareness programs. Public service announcements denouncing sexual assaults have appeared promoted by Obama, Biden, prominent sports stars and male celebrities.

In a short time, model policies will be announced by the task force for schools, according to a White House announcement. This initiative is indeed a promising trend that could make a huge impact and reduce sexual assault incidences on campuses to a great extent.