It's been 3 years since Barack Obama and Joe Biden launched the It's On Us campaign to end sexual assault on college campuses, and while the organization has made a lot of strides, there's still work to be done.
On Tuesday, Biden issued a rallying cry for all of us to continue fighting against campus sexual assault. In a video released via It's On Us's YouTube page, the former Vice President explained that it's a crucial time to step up our fight against sexual violence in light of Betsy DeVos' announcement that she intends to revamp Obama-era policies on campus sexual violence.
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"You may have heard that the progress we made, the additional protections we put in Title IX, which is now the law that protects students from sexual discrimination, and that includes sexual violence," he said in the video. "Now, the US Department of Education under new leadership is working to roll back the protections under Title IX that we worked so hard to put in place."
"We cannot let that stand."
Sexual assault remains an epidemic on college campuses, though it remains vastly underreported — largely due to the way society still blames survivors.
So what can we do about it?
"Don’t give up," Biden said in the video. "Speak out. Demand that your school continue to make progress. You know, we’ve exposed the brutal reality of sexual assault, and now is no time to turn back. Ask your friends to take the It’s On Us pledge. The same pledge you took, to say that sexual assault and rape culture will not stand. Speak out and make your views known."
"As long as I have a breath in my body, I am going to fight to change this culture," he added. "I won’t stop, and neither should you."
If you have experienced sexual violence and are in need of crisis support, please call the RAINN Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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