President Barack Obama said recent headlines have forced Americans to talk about sexual assault and domestic violence and called on young men to help protect women on college campuses while announcing a new public awareness campaign on Friday.
“The issue of violence against women is now in the news every day. We started to, I think, get a better picture of what domestic violence is all about,” Obama said.
The problem of violence against women has received renewed attention since the NFL has been forced to confront a number of domestic abuse problems.
"The fact is from sport leagues to pop culture to politics, our society does not sufficiently value women," Obama said.
Both Obama and Vice President Joe Biden said the problem of sexual assault is not just a women’s issue, and it is up to men to stand up and help protect and support victims of assault. At the White House they announced the launch of the “It’s On Us” campaign, aimed at making schools more accountable and encouraging men to join the cause.
“It is on the parents of young men to teach them respect for women, and on grown men to set an example and be clear on what it means to be a man,” Obama said.
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-- Andrew Rafferty
