By Jai-Leen James
Over the summer, Evelyn Atieno will be preparing to enter her freshmen year of college at the University of Baltimore.
But while most college freshmen stress about roommates and adjusting to the demanding college work load, Atieno has bigger concerns.
Atieno is worried about being raped.
“Students sometimes feel like issues like this aren’t important, but until it happens to you, you realize how important it is,” Atieno said.“They look at the stats and they just think it’s a far away concept, but it [rape] happens to one in four women on a college campus.”
Under federal law, health and sex classes don’t include sexual assault prevention.
In just a month, Atieno has gained over 500 supporters for her petition, “Educate Maryland High School Students about Rape” on change.org.
“I have learned algebra, geometry, and literature, but I have yet to be taught about how I can avoid being a victim of rape in college,” Atieno wrote in her petition.
Photo courtesy of Atieno.
A senior at Towson High School, Atieno said she has yet to be taught any material on rape prevention. Atieno said health class includes a unit on relationships, but it does not go in depth on practicing safe relationships.
“They’re not telling you ways to prevent it, what consent means because that’s subjective to a lot of people,” Atieno said. “And they’re not humanizing rape and showing that rape doesn’t happen to people who are wearing short skirts and are drunk. Rape happens to anybody — no matter what you’re wearing.”
Courtney Rice, a physical education major from Towson University, understands Atieno’s qualms with the current curriculum. Rice, a student teacher at Towson High School, said she never learned how to teach students about rape in her college classes.
“It definitely is an important topic to discuss, especially to high schoolers,” Rice said.
Senators Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Tim Kaine of Virginia introduced The Teach Safe Relationships Act of 2015 earlier this year. The Teach Safe Relationships Act would amend the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act to enhance education and training programs by including “safe relationship behavior” as a required part of sex education.
It would also authorize grants to allow secondary schools to educate staff and administration, and provide age appropriate educational curricula for students regarding safe relationship behavior.
Additionally, there are various non-profit organizations that raise awareness on domestic violence. The One Love Foundation was created in 2010 to honor the memory of Yeardley Love, a University of Virginia women’s lacrosse player who was beaten to death by her ex-boyfriend just weeks short of graduation.
“One Love’s goal is to end relationship violence by engaging young people in a movement for change,” the organization’s website states.
Earlier this month, Boys’ Latin School of Maryland, an all-boys school located in Baltimore, hosted Sharon Love, Yeardley Love’s mother, for a safe relationship awareness workshop and discussion.
“I think it’s necessary to spread the message to young men,” Corey Stappler, a student of the Boys’ Latin upper school, said. “These are principles all men should hold themselves to.”
Next Friday, Atieno will host a rape awareness seminar in the Towson High School auditorium. Shelly Hettleman, a member of the House of Delegates, will speak at the event. Counselors from local colleges will also be in attendance.