The Case For Action

“They call sexual violence a silent epidemic, but students and survivors are speaking out. Now the question is: How will we respond?"
- John Gabrieli, Executive Director, The Every Voice Coalition

AN URGENT PROBLEM

Impacting millions of Americans each year, sexual violence has been declared a “silent violent epidemic” by the American Medical Association.

An estimated 1 in 10 students experience sexual violence, with vulnerable populations being disproportionately at risk.
Despite the importance of curbing campus sexual violence, sexual assault incidence rates on college campuses have remained persistently high as far back as we have reliable data

A TRANSFORMATIVE

SOLUTION

To stop campus sexual assault, Every Voice aims not only to raise awareness but to take action and transform our systems.

Despite increasing attention to the problem of campus sexual assault, many school policies remain outdated and unjust. With its Core 5 principles, Every Voice is advocating for annual prevention and response training, free medical care and counseling for survivors, and anti-retaliation protections for survivors
Beyond policy changes, Every Voice seeks more broadly to change the system and remove the structural incentives colleges face to ignore sexual violence on their campuses.
By collecting and publishing data on sexual violence, we hope to change the conversation and hold schools accountable

A CRITICAL MOMENT

As the federal government steps back, it is time for states to step up and take action to prevent campus sexual violence.

In the wake of the #MeToo movement, there has never been more public pressure and attention to the issue of sexual violence.
In 2020, however, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos passed regulations that substantially diminished the federal government's role in combating campus sexual violence
Today, 30 out of 50 states have no legislation whatsoever addressing campus sexual violence. It is now time for states to step up and take comprehensive action to keep students safe

A MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE

In five states across the country, student grassroots efforts have brought comprehensive reform to the brink of passage.

Today, Every Voice has filed student-written legislation in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Illinois, and Hawaii
In total, more than 100,000 supporters have signed the Every Voice petition asking the legislature to pass these bills
The Every Voice model of grassroots student advocacy for comprehensive, evidence-based legislation is a scalable model “poised to have national impact”

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