Letters to the Editor do not reflect the editorial opinion of The Daily Free Press. They are solely the opinion of the author.
Last Thursday, the Massachusetts Senate passed a sexual violence bill with a vote of 39-0. Although the bill is effective in protecting the victims of sexual assaults, it fails to provide precautionary measures, and does not foster a safe campus environment.
As an international student, my first lesson at Boston University was to sit through a sexual assault prevention presentation. The topic, at that time, sounded so strange and far from a real-life concern. I was never aware sexual assaults could take place around campus until I received school emails and text alerts about them.
According to statistics from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college. To be honest, I should say I can hardly relate to those victims. It’s not that I am short of sympathy, it’s just that the nightmare they went through is beyond my imagination.
The bill passed by the Senate is solely concerned with rendering protection and support for victims and survivors by allocating them resources and guarding their rights by offering a more flexible reporting policy. Yet these measures all aim to relieve pain rather than prevent the assaults from happening.
Therefore, as a female student on campus, I hope more policies will become available that can effectively reduce the occurrences of sexual assault incidents. It is my sincerest hope that the college campus can truly be a safe and supportive environment for students to learn and thrive.
Kathy Chen
minc@bu.edu
LAME