Campus sexual assault

It’s not enough to condemn campus sexual assault. We need to end it.

“I want to send a message to every survivor of sexual assault: Don’t let anyone silence your voice. You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed, and we’re with you.”

HILLARY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2015

An estimated one in five women report being sexually assaulted while in college. Hillary will fight to bring an end to sexual assault on America’s campuses—because every student deserves a safe environment where they can learn and thrive, not live in fear.

Thanks to the efforts of advocates and survivors, we are seeing the beginnings of good work around the country. President Obama’s administration has worked hard to shine a light on campus sexual assault.

Hillary will build on the progress that has been made—and take on the problems we have yet to solve. Hillary’s plan to end campus sexual assault is guided by three core principles:

•Providing comprehensive support to survivors. Hillary will ensure that every campus offers survivors the support they need—no matter their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or race. Those services—from counseling to critical health care—should be confidential, comprehensive, and coordinated.

•Ensuring a fair process for all. Too often, the process of addressing a sexual assault on campus is confusing and convoluted. And many who choose to report in the criminal justice system fear that their voices will be dismissed instead of heard. Hillary believes we need a fair process for all involved, whether that’s in campus disciplinary proceedings or in the criminal justice system. This includes providing all parties involved with notice and transparency in campus disciplinary proceedings, and ensuring that complaints filed in the criminal justice system are treated seriously.

•Increasing prevention efforts. We need to recognize that it’s not enough to address this problem by responding only once sexual assault occurs. Hillary believes we need to redouble our prevention efforts and start them earlier. She will increase sexual violence prevention education programs that cover issues like consent and bystander intervention—and she’ll make sure we have programs not only in college, but also in secondary school.

Hillary has led efforts to address violence against women her entire career:

•As first lady, Hillary supported the creation of the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women. She also cast a global spotlight on the issue in her historic 1995 Beijing speech, where she denounced violence against women as a clear violation of human rights.

•As senator, she co-sponsored the 2005 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Additionally, Hillary introduced the CARE Act twice, to ensure that rape and incest victims had access to emergency contraception in hospital emergency rooms. And, in response to the spike in reports of sexual assault cases in the military, she introduced legislation to make emergency contraception available to servicewomen.

•As secretary of state, Hillary rallied the international community to take collective action to end violence against women. She drew attention to the use of rape as a weapon of war and spearheaded a U.N. Resolution that established guidelines for an international response to sexual assault in war torn areas.