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Security On Campus, Inc. Lauds Inclusion of Campus Sexual Violence Prevention & Response Provisions In VAWA Bill

WAYNE, Pa., Dec. 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Security On Campus, Inc. (SOC), the leading national non-profit campus safety advocacy organization, today issued a statement thanking U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) for including critical campus sexual violence prevention and response provisions in their bi-partisan bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. The bill, introduced on Wednesday, November 30th includes provisions from the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act (Campus SaVE Act) sponsored by Senator Robert Casey, Jr. (D-PA).

"The inclusion of Campus SaVE in the VAWA bill reflects the recognition by Congress that working to better prevent and respond to sexual violence in our nation's college and university communities is a priority," said Alison Kiss, Executive Director of SOC. "I am happy to see this on-going commitment to broaden services for victims and improve education."

Between 20 and 25 percent of women in college will be the victim of a completed or attempted rape before they graduate according to the U.S. Department of Justice. College age women are at greatest risk for experiencing nonfatal intimate partner violence, and people age 18 and 19 experience the highest rates of stalking. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was first enacted in 1994 and has been the centerpiece of the federal government's efforts to stamp out domestic and sexual violence.

The campus sexual violence provisions will update the federal Jeanne Clery Act to modernize two-decade-old campus sexual violence prevention and response provisions. They will be expanded to include dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking in addition to sexual assault, and will provide a baseline for colleges and universities to develop procedures addressing victim support services. Furthermore institutions will receive guidance on primary prevention initiatives.

"We are grateful for the support of Senators Leahy and Crapo of this important work and thank them for their leadership," said S. Daniel Carter, Director of Public Policy for SOC. "More than 20 diverse non-profit groups from across the country partnered with us to support these provisions and their hard work made make this possible."

About Security On Campus, Inc.

Security On Campus, Inc. (SOC), a national non-profit organization, was founded in 1987 by Jeanne Clery's parents, Connie & Howard, after she was raped and murdered in her on-campus residence hall at college, by a fellow student whom she did not know. SOC worked to secure passage of the Jeanne Clery Act, originally known as the Campus Security Act, in 1990 and continues to be the nation's leading voice for the improvement of campus community safety. SOC is based in Wayne, Pennsylvania near Philadelphia.

SOURCE Security On Campus, Inc.