Huffington Post Education
10.8.15
On September 21, 2015, The Association of American Universities (AAU) released a study finding that one out of four college women reported that she had been sexually abused while attending college, with one in eight reporting rape or attempted rape. The number was higher for transgender students and lower for male students.
These sobering statistics tell us that kids go to college without understanding personal boundaries, consent, and perhaps even what constitutes sexual assault. It just can't be possible that on the day that they arrive on college campuses, male students suddenly become sexual predators. If we want to ensure that our children thrive while in college, as they prepare for adult life, we have to make sure they know how to interact safely with one another and within the boundaries of the law. That takes time, but it is doable.
Education about healthy relationships and sexual assault awareness needs to begin at a very early age. That should not be hard, because, to a large extent, schools already do this. In 2015, children in almost every school around the country learn about tolerance of others, human and civil rights, and that bullying is wrong and should be reported and stamped out. Also, starting in middle school, in many schools, children begin learning about sexuality, in age-appropriate ways.
