Integrating Sexual Assault Resistance, Bystander, and Men’s Social Norms Strategies to Prevent Sexual Violence on College Campuses: A Call to Action

Abstract

Sexual assault prevention on college campuses often includes programming directed at men, women, and all students as potential bystanders. Problematically, specific types of sexual assault prevention are often implemented on campuses in isolation, and sexual assault risk reduction and resistance education programs for women are rarely integrated with other approaches. With increasing focus on the problem of sexual assault on college campuses, it is timely to envision a comprehensive and interconnected prevention approach. Implementing comprehensive prevention packages that draw upon the strengths of existing approaches is necessary to move toward the common goal of making college campuses safer for all students. Toward this goal, this commentary unpacks the models and mechanisms on which current college sexual assault prevention strategies are based with the goal of examining the ways that they can better intersect. The authors conclude with suggestions for envisioning a more synthesized approach to campus sexual assault prevention, which includes integrated administration of programs for women, men, and all students as potential bystanders on college campuses.

It’s time to address sexual violence in academic global health

“…Our actions must be informed by up-to-date prevention guidelines on sexual violence on college/university campuses. But these need to be adapted to address specific issues in academic global health, with programmes for all students and academics (male and female) to address both victimisation and perpetration, and for entire academic communities so that active bystanders can contribute to changing cultural norms and behaviours among peers 5. Such approaches should include: (1) raising awareness; (2) acknowledging barriers to change; and (3) increasing action through skills practice.…”

“…Fund and implement sexual harassment and assault resistance training for students as part of an integrated sexual violence prevention strategy based on the best available evidence 5. Evidence-based programmes exist to help students become more active bystanders39 and better resist sexual violence,40 41 as well as programmes that show promise for reducing male students’ perpetration of sexual violence 42.…”

“…But academic global health still does not adequately prepare (women and men) students and academics for this problem; and recent discussions on global health training ignore the problem 4. Indeed, there is an urgent need to implement evidence-based comprehensive and integrated prevention strategies to address sexual violence in global health academic research 5…”

Empowerment Self-Defense Training in a Community Population

“…From old models of sexual assault “prevention” that focused only on women—either providing services after assaults (which, of course, does not actually prevent sexual assault from happening) or instructing them to limit their behavior, “improve” their communication skills, or rely on others for protection—advocates have rightfully moved on to explore “primary prevention” interventions that place responsibility for prevention on perpetrators and on society as a whole (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2004; DeGue et al, 2014). Most of the attention has focused on two strategies: educating potential perpetrators and training bystanders to intervene (Orchowski et al, 2018). Both approaches are worthy.…”

“…No intervention with men has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing the likelihood of perpetration, and some interventions actually seem to worsen men’s attitudes toward and sympathy for women (Berg et al, 1999; Breitenbecher, 2000; Gidycz et al, 2011). Bystander intervention programs show promise but have yet to demonstrate significant reductions in perpetration or victimization (Banyard et al, 2007; Coker et al, 2015; Orchowski et al, 2018). Moreover, even if perfectly effective, bystander intervention can never prevent 100% of sexual assaults because most assaults do not take place in the presence of other people.…”