Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment (PAVE) is a group that focuses on what sexual violence is and how to respond when the issue hits close to home. On Wednesday, March 21, the entire senior class went to the auditorium to listen to PAVE’s message.

The assembly started with several startling facts. Perhaps the most frightening fact was that 3 percent of Yorktown students had been forced into unwanted sexual contact. In the United States, one in four boys and one in 6 girls will be sexually assaulted before they reach age 18.

One of PAVE’s major campaigns is the #consentis movement. This is where people write what consent means to them on a wristband by finishing the statement, “Consent is…”. These wristbands are then worn to remind people of the importance and meaning of consent. This is paired with their slogan, Consent MOVES, which stands for mutual, ongoing, verbal, enthusiastic, and sober. To break that down, consent must be agreed upon and wanted by both parties, the answer must be yes every time (even if they say no once and yes many times, it is not ongoing), asked and agreed upon, the yes cannot be reluctant or feel forced, and both parties are sober. Sobriety was another one of PAVE’s main talking points. Just because one or both people are drunk does not mean that they are not responsible for their actions.

Another focus of PAVE was at risk individuals. A high percentage of sexual assault occurs within the first six months of college. This is because college is a time of heightened freedom and experimentation. Many students are put into situations that they have never been in before and do not know how to react. There is a lot of alcohol and drug use in college which increases bad decisions that can lead to sexual assault. Sadly, there has been a normalization of sexual assault and is a reason some people do not see what they are doing as wrong.

PAVE did not just talk about what sexual assault is though, they also talked about how individuals and the community should respond to a sexual assault victim. To start, it is important to listen, not judge, and be supportive of any sexual assault victim. Never blame the victim because it is never their fault, regardless of what they are wearing, saying or doing.

Bystanders play an important role in preventing sexual assault. Shockingly, the more bystanders that are present, the less likely it is that a crime will be reported. In the case of Kitty Genovese, 38 people watched and did nothing as she was sexually assaulted and then murdered. As a bystander, it is crucial to step in and bring a stop to sexual assault.

It is a common misconception that most rape occurs between strangers. Many times, rape happens with two people who know each other very well, sometimes even people who are dating. Unhealthy relationships consist of fear, lack of support and co-dependence. On the other hand, healthy relationships are supportive, respectful and vocal.

It is important to note that sexual assault is not only a women’s issue, but rather, a human issue. At some point, sexual assault will affect almost everyone. PAVE works to make sure that people know how to respond when it does happen. Sexual assault is a major problem in the community, country, and the world. It is important to understand this problem and take the proper measures to end