How can you be a better advocate for survivors this semester? An Interview with the Every Voice Coalition

This week, I talked to Sarah Carter from the Every Voice Coalition. Every Voice is a national nonprofit organization that unites students and advocates in fighting sexual violence on college campuses through writing legislation and other advocacy efforts.  I attended their informational webinar two weeks ago on how students can better support survivors on their campuses and wanted to talk more about how this semester will be unique.

Every Voice is currently working in nine states–the campaign started in Massachusetts and has expanded to New Hampshire, Hawaii, Illinois, Nevada, Maine, Connecticut, New Mexico, and Virginia. All of the legislation that Every Voice advocates for is written by students and young alumni who often experience these issues firsthand.

Every Voice has five core components of their platform that students can advocate for and that they urge state legislatures to codify in legislation. Sarah described these five core components of the platform as the “most essential, basic resources for survivors”, yet many states and universities do not offer these protections.

Below is a breakdown of the five core components of their platform, and why these protections are so important for students and survivors.

Free Access to Medical and Legal Support Systems

According to Every Voice’s website, fewer than half of survivors receive counseling or support service of any kind. 

The legislation that Every Voice creates establishes “partnerships between universities and rape crisis centers” so survivors can better access counseling and mental health services, medical services, and legal support. This is especially important for survivors so [reporting through] law enforcement is not the only option that survivors have”, said Sarah. 

Anti-Retaliation Protections for Reporting Parties

Anti-retaliation protection means that a “Good Samaritan” protection should be implemented for students who come forward to report an incidence of sexual violence–that means, for example, if the person reporting or the survivor had been underage drinking or had taken drugs, they would not face punishment for these actions.

Confidential Advising Services to clarify survivors rights and options

Confidential advising services can be one of the only ways for survivors to seek help or advice if they are still unsure if they want to report. The Trump administration’s new Title IX regulations no longer mandate resident advisors, coaches, or other academic employees to report assaults to the university if students report to them. 

Sarah explained that these advising services, often therapists, are “essential resources for survivors to feel heard”, and can assist survivors in finding specific identity-based resources and navigating the reporting process if they choose to report an assault. “Having someone that is trauma-informed and trained in trauma is so essential to survivors, as many survivors may not have people who believe them in their circle of friends or family”. 

Transparent data on Sexual Violence and Climate Surveys

Taking climate surveys and providing transparent data on sexual violence is essential to identify at-risk demographics, and to create solutions to sexual violence that are specific to the needs of the specific campus. 

“What we found was that out of the nearly 160 higher education institutes in Virginia, 110 reported no assaults”, said Sarah. 

Schools are required to report because of the Clery Act, which is a federal law that requires institutes of higher education to report crimes that occur “on campus” to the Virginia state government. However, Sarah explained that “schools will often report zero assaults because people assume that if there are higher reports, that campus is more violent, when in reality, the rates of sexual and interpersonal violence across college campuses are generally the same”. 

“[Climate surveys] show schools that this is an issue that they should care about, and empowers students to come together”, said Sarah. These surveys can make sexual assault information more transparent than other reports that the University may provide, and get an accurate gauge of how students feel about campus safety. 

Universal, Evidence-Based Prevention and Response Training on a Yearly Basis for All Students and Staff

According to RAINN, 11.2% of students in college or university experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation. A study from the American Association of Universities showed that the rate of “nonsexual sexual contact by physical force or inability to consent” increased by 3 percentage points between 2015 to 2019. 

College-aged women (18-24) experience sexual violence at nearly 3 times the rate of women on average. “Most students just have an online module [as a form of sexual violence prevention], and that’s the end of the story”, Sarah told me. Many of the “online modules” that students receive are centered around bystander intervention training or taking an “if you see something, say something” approach to stopping sexual violence. However, this method is flawed, and often does not address the root causes of sexual violence.

“Bystander training is flawed, and it puts the onus on the individual to protect themselves and others”, said Sarah. “[Bystander intervention training] doesn’t even glaze over the rates of sexual violence for those with marginalized identities, and it doesn’t address trauma”. 

Every Voice’s platform advocates for evidenced-based and survivor-focused training for students and faculty, at least on a yearly basis. “We are trying to develop a trauma-informed and survivor-led education,” in addition to safe-space trainings. If every student and every staff or faculty member received more effective training on a yearly basis, it could better help students cope with trauma and prevent sexual violence from occurring.” 

How will college be different this semester?

In addition to discussing the platform of Every Voice, I asked Sarah about how prevention and survivor support may look different this fall, and how students may continue to be advocates, even if the college environment is drastically different.

One major change may be the timeframe in which assaults could occur, and how to best adjust when to implement prevention measures. Assaults on college campuses are most likely to occur within the first six weeks of the semester starting–this period is often referred to as the “red zone”. However, because the social scene at the beginning of the semester is drastically different than in years past, this pattern may change. 

Sarah explained that “with parties not happening [during the semester], I think that those cases [during the first six weeks] will be lower, but a new red zone could open up in February or March”. 

In addition, the confidential resources we discussed earlier in the article may be limited due to hiring freezes and limited budgets at many Universities as a result of COVID-19.  Sarah also explained that many of these confidential advocates also can only provide confidential resources in a specific geographic location, and therefore may not be able to provide resources over Zoom or in a geographic area if needed. 

Steps for Action

The ways in which students and universities can advocate for survivors and sexual assault prevention will look different, but coalitions like Every Voice make it possible to still be active in this movement from home. 

“The best thing that people can do is believe their friends, ask them what you can provide for them, and ask people what they need and how to create that space”, said Sarah. If there are feminist or survivor-oriented groups already on your campus that are holding Zoom meetings this semester, you can take steps to get involved virtually and support their needs.”  

“We as students often feel so disconnected from the political process, but we can play such an important role in showing that we have rights as students”, said Sarah. “Students lose faith in the political system but we have a huge opportunity to shape our futures, and include our friends and communities into these laws.” 

If you are interested in the Every Voice Coalition, their mission, you can get involved with them at https://www.everyvoicecoalition.org/, and if you’re in Virginia, you can follow them @EveryVoiceVA on Instagram.