As efforts increase around the nation to combat campus sexual assault, one aspect of prevention seems to confound schools the most: how to warn students about staying safe — without sounding like they're blaming the victim.
The latest public awareness campaign from the White House focuses on bystanders. A slick new PSA urges students to step in when they see someone who might be in trouble. It follows other efforts aimed at potential perpetrators, to make sure they understand what counts as consent.
But when it comes to raising awareness among potential victims, figuring out what to say is a lot more complicated.
"It's a tough line to tread because the blame should still be on the perpetrator, but you also want to protect these people," sighs Larkin Sayre, a sophomore and student activist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She's working a booth at the school as part of the "It's on Us" campaign.
[For more of this story, written by Tovia Smith, go to http://www.npr.org/2014/11/21/...n-and-victim-blaming]
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