Sexual Violence & Assault

Sexual violence is one of the most widespread and under-addressed crimes in our society. An estimated 39% of women and 17% of men experience sexual violence in their lifetime, with rates even higher in marginalized communities. Yet, when these crimes are reported, over 60% do not receive a meaningful investigation. Despite its prevalence and severity, sexual violence is often treated as inevitable—normalized to the point that a life-altering crime affecting nearly half the population is written off as a fact of life.

Public debate routinely focuses on highly visible crimes like retail theft, while offering few concrete proposals for preventing sexual violence itself. Calls for more policing do not address the reality that nearly 80% of sexual violence occurs before age 25, often long before workplace or college interventions ever reach people. In fact, research has shown that many college and workplace trainings are statistically ineffective or even counterproductive, sometimes reinforcing already-learned behaviors rather than changing them. The result is a reactive system that accepts harm instead of preventing it.

Ben rejects this resignation. Sexual violence is not inevitable. It is preventable—and the evidence is clear about what works.

• K-12 Age-Appropriate Consent Education

  • For the last decade, Australia piloted K-12 consent education in various States, finally releasing a mandatory, nationwide curriculum in 2020. These programs, as well as various studies in the US, have shown consent education can reduce sexual violence & gender based bullying by 25%-50%

• Legal Support for People Reporting Crimes (see Public Safety)

  • It is difficult to report a crime, and sexual violence has the highest rate of “prosecutorial attrition” — reports that go nowhere — of any category. A large part of this is because reporters have no legal support unless the DA decides to get involved, which is dependent on a successful report. NYC recently started a program to supply any person facing housing court with an attorney; it is a civic imperative to provide this for people reporting crimes.