United States President Barack Obama urged artists and musicians to work together in positively influencing the public perspective to put an end to sexual violence once and for all.
The message is part of a public service announcement aired halfway through the 57th annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California on Sunday. In the video, the President cited statistics that nearly one in five women in America have been the victim of rape or attempted rape. He also says that a quarter of all women in the nation have experienced some form of sexual violence.
"It's not okay. It has to stop," he says.
The public service announcement is part of "It's On Us," the White House campaign which aims to end sexual assault in college campuses. The campaign places a strong emphasis on personal responsibility and urges bystanders to interfere in situations that may look like sexual violence.
"It's on us, all of us, to create a culture where violence isn't tolerated, where survivors are supported, where all our young men and women can go as far as their talents and their dreams can take them," the President says.
He urged artists to sign their names to an anti-sexual violence petition on ItsOnUs.org and called on them to encourage their fans to do the same.
"Artists have a unique power to change minds and attitudes," he says. "They get us thinking and talking about what matters. And all of us in our own lives have the power to set an example."
Following the President's message, sexual violence advocate Brooke Axtell took to the stage to share her own story of domestic violence. She told the audience she sought security in a housing shelter after telling her mother her then partner threatened to kill her.
"Authentic love does not devalue another human being," Axtell said. "Authentic love does not silence shame and abuse."
The campaign was launched in September in an effort by the White House to curb the increasing incidences of sexual violence in college campuses. Research shows one in five female students experience rape or attempted rape in college while one in 16 male students experience some form of sexual assault. However, only 20 percent of campus rape has been reported, according to figures released by the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
Meanwhile, the White House is aggressively using Title IX, a law that prohibits gender-based discrimination in public schools to encourage higher education institutions to re-examine their policies on cases of sexual violence. A total of 92 universities and colleges are currently under investigation by the Office of Civil Rights of the Education Department for alleged improper handling of sexual assault reported by students.
