WEST HAVEN–Almost 300 men and women attended the One in Four event on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2009 which was presented by the Victimology Club, the Multicultural Office, and SCOPE.
One in Four is a national not-for-profit organization that has local chapters in many schools around the country. Its name reflects the statistic that one in four women will be the victim of a sexual assault. Both presentations included a video, a definition of sexual assault, and a brainstorming session on how to prevent and help victims.
Many small ways to prevent a sexual assault are being a third wheel in a bad situation, distracting the victim from her attacker, getting a friend to help, and refusing to leave a room. Only 2-4% of sexual assaults are reported to the police and four out of five times the victim knows their attacker. Both men and women are subjected to sexual assault and both can commit this heinous act. In 2007, over 176,000 sexual assaults were reported. That means there were 20 victims every hour but the actual number is higher due to the underreported nature of the crime. The presenters stayed and answered questions afterwards and there was also a crisis counselor available to those who needed to talk.