Sexual Aggression Awareness at AUP

April is sexual assault awareness month, meant to bring attention to the most underreported crime in the world. According to RAINN,  68% go unreported and only 2 out of 100 rapists will be convicted. Victims of sexual violence span all genders, ages, and races, and the majority of assailants are an acquaintance of the victim.

A sexual aggression awareness task force has previously existed at AUP but needed momentum this year to get back up and running. It has always been advised by Sandrine Godt who is the Student Affairs Counselor at AUP, who decided this year to be more of a guide, letting students take matters into their own hands. AUP sophomores Elizabeth McGehee and Ellen Kitchens took leadership positions to bring the task force back to life with the help of graduate student Madison Pugh.The task force at AUP is here to be sure that students have their voices heard and to create a community within AUP where students feel safe and secure to share concerns and/or experiences with sexual aggression. They also help educate and raise awareness about sexual aggression among peers, says McGehee. 

The mission statement for the task force is: "We are here to serve as a lighthouse for the AUP community. We are educating advocates to pass on the knowledge and to create a platform where survivors can feel safe to speak up. Some of these survivors may be in Paris for the first time and not know a word of French. We believe we need to start with student advocates, so that a victim will feel more comfortable coming forward to a peer. This includes meeting the student immediately to provide support, suggest and guide her/him to file a police report. We need to assist our fellow students and together provide a community that not only helps those that have experienced sexual aggression, but also empowers the individual to move forward. As the Sexual Aggression Awareness Task Force, it is our responsibility to do our best to empower individuals and move towards a community that no longer tolerates sexual aggression". 

Their first event will be a viewing of the documentary "The Hunting Ground" and will be followed by a lecture. It will be screened on April 25 in room C-103 from 6 PM to 9 PM. Below is the trailer for this acclaimed documentary.