BY: KAROUN CHAHINIAN
Consent seems like a simple and fairly obvious concept, but if it is, why are there still over 293,000 cases of sexual assault in America every year?
One of the most common places where these assaults take place are school campuses. They are so common that the time between September and Christmas break is even referred to as the “red zone” because of the extremely high number of sexual assault cases.
Last year, President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden decided enough was enough and launched the “It’s On Us” campaign to raise awareness of this rising issue by opening up a dialogue with the students on what consent and assault actually mean.
Since then, the campaign has been launched in over 300 colleges, hosted 650 events which address the issue of sexual assault on school campuses, and have over 220,000 pledges.
Those who pledge promise to recognize that non-consensual sex is sexual assault, to identify situations in which sexual assault may occur, to intervene in situations where consent has not or cannot be given, to create an environment in which sexual assault is unacceptable and survivors are supported.
You won’t only hear about this campaign when walking to classes. “It’s On Us” has been dominating the social media sphere with its hashtags and videos and in honour of the campaign’s one year anniversary, it has also released a new PSA called #OneThing that has grasped the nation’s attention. It was different from other government announcements because the White House had well-known celebrities do all the talking. After all, who’s not going to pay attention to Zoe Saldana when she tells us her stern point of view on sexual assault and the importance of consent?
Watch the powerful ad below:
Sources: scriptmag.com, itsonus.org, zalkopp.com