Unless you have been isolated from the world of politics and Hollywood in the past months, you are no stranger to the abundance of sexual assault allegations flooding our nation. The domino effect began with a single article in the “New York Times” detailing multiple accusations against movie director Harvey Weinstein, and since then, there have been more than 50 women come forward in his case alone.

Unfortunately, sexual harassment does not limit itself to politicians and Hollywood stars. A major issue that needs to be addressed is sexual assault on college campuses. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in 5 women and one in 16 men will be sexually assaulted while attending college. Not only that, but 90 percent of these assaults will go unreported.

    Regardless of gender, age, race, or religion, I believe that we can all agree on one thing: sexual assault, harassment and abuse is a problem not only in America, but in the world today.

You may be wondering, what can we do to put an end to these crimes? We can begin by believing the women who make these claims. According to the NSVRC, “the prevalence of falsely accusing someone of rape ranges from two to eight percent” so the whole “she is lying to get money” narrative is statistically unlikely. Eliminating this factor could encourage more victims to come forward and give them a stronger support system when they do.

Another positive step to take would be keeping students informed on precautions to take when feeling threatened or uncomfortable. Although it seems unfair to make victims adjust to the actions of perpetrators, it could be an effective way to lessen sexual violence. These precautions range from how you wear your hair to the usage of the “buddy system” when in an unfamiliar environment.

Due to the recent abundance of sexual assault claims, I believe that there needs to be greater efforts taken to try and decrease these numbers. I believe that as a nation, we have recognized the problem, but we all know that actions speak louder than words.