[ti:Training to Prevent Campus Sexual Assault]
[ar:Jill Robbins]
[al:Education Report]
[by:www.21voa.com]
[00:00.00]The first year of college is usually a time to learn and have fun. 
[00:05.35]Many young people enjoy the freedom of living away from home for the first time. 
[00:11.72]For young women in the United States, however, 
[00:15.12]it is a time when they are at high risk of experiencing a sex crime.
[00:20.76]The U.S. Justice Department reports 
[00:24.25]that American women age 18 to 24 had the highest rate of sexual assault. 
[00:31.67]The study also found that university students were less likely 
[00:37.01]to report such crimes than non-students. 
[00:40.94]Among college women, nine out of ten 
[00:45.42]knew the person who sexually assaulted them.
[00:49.02]In Canada, three universities recently ran a program 
[00:54.06]to train female students to avoid sexual assault while in college. 
[01:00.10]The two-year program was available at universities in Calgary, Alberta, 
[01:07.22]and Windsor and Guelph in Ontario, Canada.
[01:11.35]The program involved women in their first year at the schools. 
[01:16.00]The students spent 12 hours learning how to judge risks, 
[01:21.65]deal with emotions, and use self-defense.
[01:25.86]The program taught students to be especially on guard 
[01:30.60]at parties and other high-risk campus social events. 
[01:35.14]The training taught students to attend such events together. 
[01:40.43]If separated, they should check on each other periodically. 
[01:45.88]They should also take extra care in their use of alcohol. 
[01:50.67]At least half of the sexual assaults among college women involve drinking.
[01:57.39]About 450 students received the training. 
[02:02.98]A group of about the same size received only written information 
[02:09.46]and a brief meeting with the trainers. 
[02:12.17]The group that received the 12 hours of training 
[02:16.35]saw an almost 50 percent drop in risk of rape.
[02:21.68]Study investigators said there were limitations in their research. 
[02:27.13]They noted that the study was designed for women. 
[02:31.21]They wrote that effective interventions 
[02:35.61]that target men's behavior are also needed.
[02:39.16]In the U.S., Harvard, Rutgers and several other universities 
[02:44.62]have also developed "bystander training." 
[02:48.01]This means students offer help 
[02:50.78]if they see someone in danger of being assaulted. 
[02:54.62]The training helps students, both men and women, 
[02:58.79]decide when it is safe to personally intervene and when to call the police.
[03:05.02]Last year, President Barack Obama ordered the establishment 
[03:10.92]of a task force on sexual violence at universities. 
[03:14.96]The investigative group's report 
[03:18.15]advised universities to take several measures. 
[03:21.87]They include methods for researching the sex crime "climate" 
[03:26.41]of the university and improving systems for reporting crimes 
[03:32.39]as well as prevention programs.
[03:35.08]The White House task force 
[03:39.11]said one in five women experiences sexual assault in her college years. 
[03:44.07]It has started a web site called Not Alone to give schools 
[03:49.05]and students information on how to react to and prevent sexual assault.
[03:55.93]President Obama spoke about the issue of campus sexual assault 
[04:00.87]in one of his weekly broadcasts in January.
[04:04.03]"Perhaps most important, 
[04:05.82]we need to keep saying to anyone out there who has ever been assaulted: 
[04:08.90]you are not alone. 
[04:09.76]You will never be alone. We have your back. I've got your back."
[04:13.45]Schools or educators can learn more about preventing sexual violence 
[04:20.58]from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
[04:24.07]I'm Jill Robbins.
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