State Rep. Kathy Kennedy spoke today in favor of a bill to address sexual assault on college campuses. Contributed photo.
State Rep. Kathy Kennedy today hailed passage by unanimous vote in the Connecticut House of Representatives of a bill to address sexual assault on college campuses.
The legislation, HB 6374, mandates each college conduct a survey about this issue every two years to help implement effective policies, and it establishes an amnesty program for victims that allow an underage student who has been drinking or using drugs to report an assault without fear of being charged with a violation.
“This bill is an opportunity to provide a victim of sexual assault or a survivor of sexual violence with some measure of understanding or solace,” Kennedy said. “Violence prevention and the support for sexual assault survivors should not be a partisan issue.”
Campus assault has received increasing attention in recent years. Fifty percent of campus assaults occur in the first three months of the school year. This is called the “Red Zone.” In 2018 there were 436 reported assaults and stalking cases reported at Connecticut colleges. The American Civil Liberties Union estimates that only 5 percent of victims of sexual violence on any college campus in America choose to report their assault to university officials.
Kennedy thanked the student-led organization Every Voice Coalition CT for their advocacy on the legislation, which is supported by both the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence and the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
The bill now heads to the state Senate.