Generation Progress And The White House Launch The Third It’s On Us PSA
In the U.S. today, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. Most cases of sexual assault occur during students’ freshman or sophomore years and in 75-80 percent of cases, the women and men know their attackers, whether as an acquaintance, classmate, friend, or (ex)partner. Today the White House and Generation Progress, the youth engagement branch of the Center for American Progress, launched the third It’s On Us PSA to kick off the school year and raise awareness about sexual assault.
In September 2014, Generation Progress and the White House came together to launch It’s On Us, a cultural movement aimed at fundamentally shifting the way we think about sexual assault. The campaign is a rallying cry inviting everyone to step up and realize that the solution begins with us.
During its first year, the campaign released two PSA’s with the support of more than 85 national and local partner organizations. President Obama even shared the It’s On Us message during the GRAMMYs to a crowd of almost 30 million, urging them to get involved. The campaign’s main focus has always been on organizing on campuses nationwide to change the culture of sexual assault — since the launch, It’s On Us has engaged thousands of students from 370 college campuses in 48 states, all working to put an end to the epidemic of sexual assault on their campus.
As we enter the 2015 school year, it’s on all of us to recognize that sex without consent is sexual assault. With more sexual assaults occurring during the back-to-school time than any other time period, the It’s On Us campaign is especially dedicated to working with students nationwide to raise awareness of this issue.
We are asking everyone to commit to create an environment, be it a dorm, a fraternity or sorority, a club or a bar, a locker room or an entire college campus, where sexual assault is unacceptable. Alongside passionate partners and celebrities like Nina Dobrev, Josh Hutcherson, the NCAA, and more, It’s On Us will continue its collaboration with local and student organizers and engage as many students as possible in discussions about being part of the solution.
Take the pledge and join the movement at itsonus.org.
BOTTOM LINE: Sexual assault is far too prevalent on our college campuses and in our communities. Raising awareness. Holding ourselves and each other accountable. Looking out for someone who can’t consent. It’s on us. All of us.
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