DeVos Will Roll Back Obama-Era Protections for Victims of Campus Sexual Assault

Published on Friday, September 08, 2017 by Diane Ravitch’s Blog

“Her stance seems likely to discourage rape victims from coming forward, since doing so is already hazardous and puts them at risk of ostracism.”

By Diane Ravitch

“Given that she was appointed by a man who has boasted of sexually assaulting women without their consent–just “grabbing them by” their genitals–her indifference to victims of sexual assault is not surprising.”(Photo: Twitter)

In a speech at George Mason University, one of the few universities where she can speak without student protests, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced a retreat from the guidelines protecting victims of sexual assault on campus. She devoted equal time in her speech to the rights of the victims of rape and the rights of those accused of rape.

Her stance seems likely to discourage rape victims from coming forward, since doing so is already hazardous and puts them at risk of ostracism, especially when the alleged perpetrator is a popular athlete on campus.

Given that she was appointed by a man who has boasted of sexually assaulting women without their consent–just “grabbing them by” their genitals–her indifference to victims of sexual assault is not surprising.

Read more at https://www.commondreams.org/views/2017/09/08/devos-will-roll-back-obama-era-protections-victims-campus-sexual-assault.

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