Q&A: Sen. Bob Casey on his campus sexual assault bill

Article here. Excerpt:

'USA TODAY College: Is the statistic that 1-in-5 women will be sexually assaulted in college widely accepted in Congress? It’s gotten some backlash from university administrators who think it’s an exaggeration.

Sen. Robert Casey: The number is important. Even if the argument proves true that it’s not (valid) — that it’s 1 in 6, 1 in 7, 1 in 10, 1 in 20 — that is still way too high. I have four daughters, two in college. So this hits people in a very personal way. We could spend all day debating numbers. I’m much more concerned about taking action.

(The SaVE Act) is a substantial step forward because for the first time in a long time we’re focused on making sure there’s more transparency, that every student knows their rights. And that it’s on all of us. Everyone has a role to play — especially young men. For too long they’ve had no responsibility or accountability. I’ve said directly to young men, “Don’t think that it’s not your problem. You can’t be a bystander who does nothing. You’ve got to speak up, be aware, watch for indications of when (bad) conduct might occur.” If you know someone who’s drunk, who’s behaving inappropriately, you’ve got to act right away.

What I worry about isn’t whether the 1-in-5 statistic is accurate, but about underreporting — that young women who are victims are alone or feel like they’re alone. The ones who don’t engage in a system that they feel won’t bring about justice or treat them with the respect they should be accorded as a victim of a horrific crime.'

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Comments

This is the kind of blather that these people believe. They use the number to generate support, but back away if pressed--well, the number doesn't matter. It doesn't? Then why use it?

As to men not being held accountable, what a load of hogwash. Men have long been held accountable for what happens between them and a woman. It's women who are not held accountable--as another post states, false reports are okay as long as women are not hesitant to come forward. But Casey wants even more: he wants the men he threw under the bus to act as unpaid bodyguards for all women, so if a woman gets drunk, the man should step in and prevent her from being sexually assaulted--and be held accountable if he doesn't.

I wonder: will the human race ever evolve enough that women can be treated as adults and not as children? The irony is the more men are expected to take care of women, the more the patriarchy will return.

My solution to campus rape is simple: have the dads of the daughters on campus define the rules for dating their daughters.

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