FIGHTING BACK
White House task force to combat college rape
WASHINGTON — President Obama warned colleges Wednesday to address an epidemic of sexual assault on campuses.
A newly formed White House task force will craft plans for schools to combat sexual violence and push institutions to open up about the problem and their response.
A study issued Wednesday by the White House Council on Women and Girls found that nearly 22 million women nationwide — and more than 1.5 million men — have been raped.
The review found that only 12% of college assault victims report the crime to police.
“No one is more at risk of being raped or sexually assaulted than women at our nation’s colleges and universities,” said the report.
It said assaults are fueled by heavy alcohol and drug use on campuses. The majority of offenders are serial rapists, the survey found, citing a finding that among admitted offenders, 63% said they committed an average of six rapes.
Obama called the victimization of women who have reached college “totally unacceptable.”
This is a priority for me not only as President and commander-inchief, but as a husband and a father. President Obama
“This is a priority for me not only as President and commander-inchief, but as a husband and a father of two extraordinary girls,” he said.
Obama signed an order establishing the task force at a White House meeting of the council attended by Vice President Biden and nine members of the cabinet.
Federal law requires taxpayer- funded schools to address crimes like sexual assaults that disproportionately affect women.
Scott Berkowitz, president of the Rape, Assault and Incest National Network, said the problem is compounded because colleges handle the cases internally and often exclude law enforcement.
“They use systems created to adjudicate plagiarism,” he said. “The system just doesn’t fit the crime.”
Obama called on college presidents to take action, and if they don’t, he urged one of his strongest constituencies — college students — to demand answers.
Mary Haviland, executive director of the New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, called Obama’s mandate “huge.”
Teens must learn before college “that forced sexual contact is unacceptable,” she said.