OUR VIEW: Men should learn how to help women after violence occurs

Sexual violence is not just a woman’s problem. Anywhere from 95 to 99 percent of rapes are perpetrated by men, and as many as one in five men will themselves be sexually violated in their lifetime. While USU has put an appropriate amount of energy into prevention and self defense education for the women of its campus, SAAVI Coordinator Rachel Hickman and the Sigma Pi Epsilon fraternity should be applauded for their most recent effort to get at the root of the problem – educating men.

A national group called One in Four will be presenting Monday at 12:30 p.m. in the TSC. We encourage students to check it out. Four male speakers from college campuses across the United States will be speaking to students, in addition to showing their nationally acclaimed movie that documents the case of a male on male rape.

The goal of the presentation is not to blame men. Rather, it will give them a chance to find their voice when speaking out against sexual violence, and will spend most of the time teaching men how to help the women in their lives heal in the aftermath of a sexually violent attack. Most rapes might be perpetrated by men, but most men are not rapists.

Considering recent statistics indicate one in four college-aged women have been a victim of sexual violence since the age of 14, men at USU have a high probability of being put in a position where the information offered Monday could be put to use. Whether it’s your girlfriend, a relative, a classmate, or even just a friend, you young men might just be the one a woman turns to after her trust has been dramatically violated. And in a society that uses women’s bodies as advertising tools, and flashes their physique across screens for entertainment value, the world could always use a few more good men.