Sexual Assault On Campus, A Real Epidemic: High School Health Classes May Hold Key To Reducing Sex-Related Attacks

Incidence of sexual assault on campus has risen to such rates that the problem has become a real epidemic. Recent findings. however, suggest that high school health class may hold the key to reducing these sex-related attacks on school grounds.

The Washington Post reports that both US President Barack Obama and US Vice President Joe Biden cited that one in every five women in the U.S. will experience being assaulted during college. Vice President Biden recently enlisted Lady Gaga into his crusade against sexual offense and violence in the country.

According to Teen Vogue the crusade, the "It's On Us" campaign, calls on all men and women in the US to intervene in situations of sexual assault. Through "It's On Us," both schools and law enforcements are also asked to take a bigger role in dealing with cases of rape and sexual assault on campus. Enforcing the proper disciplinary action against perpetrators, providing victims safe avenues through which to see help or report their attack, development of support groups and propagating information on student rights are among the tasks that schools and the authorities can take on.

Business Insider reports that schools can take a key preventive measure that might address the rising statistics of sexual assault on campus. Developing a health class program, which would effectively equip students with an understanding of consent, violation of rights and sexual assault may reduce current statistics. Furthermore, such a program will not only address the problem of sex-related attacks on campus, but also with teenage pregnancy.

Findings by Guttmacher Institute suggest that an informative reproductive health program in high school will create an awareness and a better sense of responsibility among teenagers of their body, their interactions and their relationships. The "no means no and yes means yes" training is better begun long before a student steps onto a college campus. Students develop the street smarts, so to speak, on the issue of sexual consent, sexual responsibility, sexual assault and sexual violation by beginning this conversation during high school health class.