Campus sexual assault is a civil rights issue, according to recent remarks by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels. Samuels made the comments while visiting the campus of the University of Delaware as part of a tour of schools by officials from the Departments of Justice and Education to raise awareness of campus sexual assault.
“Sexual assault denies students their right to live and learn in a safe educational environment—and it is a form of sex discrimination that is disproportionately perpetrated against women,” Samuels said.
The Justice Department’s Office on Violence Against Women oversees the grants to reduce and prevent campus sexual assault and is responsible for enforcing the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act and the Campus SaVE provision, which is specific to sexual assault, domestic violence, and stalking on college campuses.
“The Department of Justice will continue to vigorously enforce our nation’s civil rights laws—to expand educational opportunities for women, to ensure that sex discrimination does not prevent students from achieving their goals and to foster safe and nurturing environments where every student has an equal chance to prosper,” Samuels added.
