White House issues recommendations to end sexual assaults

BERKELEY, Calif. (KGO) -- A Bay Area congresswoman and students at a top university are reacting to the Obama administration's recommendations for putting an end to sexual assaults on college campuses.

Some students at UC Berkeley are speaking out and say it's about time the White House is weighing in.

"Well I think it's great that awareness is finally coming to those issues because I feel like the general public has a tendency to turn the other shoulder and ignore the fact that these incidents are occurring," UC Berkeley student Nallely Montes said.

Women on the UC Berkeley campus say they feel relieved and a bit safer now that the White House is turning its attention to the issue of sexual assaults on college campuses.

A task force looked into the issue for the Obama administration and is now saying college campuses cannot turn a blind eye to it any longer.

US Congresswoman Jackie Speier who has advocated for women on this issue released a response to the recommendations saying, "The quick actions taken by the White House to combat campus sexual assault are impressive. It is now up to Congress now to make the task force recommendations mandatory, so survivors know we have done all we can to prevent this national epidemic."

A group of current and former UC Berkeley students pushed this issue to the forefront by filing a federal complaint against Cal saying, the university failed to protect them from sexual assaults. Some of those women are going to speak before lawmakers in Sacramento on Monday. The fact that the White House is now paying attention makes some students feel proud.

"I'm feeling hopeful that this serious issue will be addressed soon and I'm just glad that people are finally taking action and that's what Berkeley is all about, taking action about in terms of serious issues," UC Berkeley student Krishamae Cabrera said.

Students here say they've always known this is an issue, they even study it and it's about time that lawmakers joined the conversation.

"I'm taking a bunch of gender history classes right now and we're talking about the history about sexual assault and its never really been addressed until I guess today," UC Berkeley student Anna-Linnea Rodegard said.

The task force will announce its recommendations on Monday afternoon. They include offering victims more support and also advising students on what to do if they know that a sexual assault is occurring and teaching them how to intervene.

The two young women at the center of the complaint against Cal are testifying at the State Capitol Monday morning as a Senate committee takes up the issue of sexual assault on defenseless victims.

The bill is known as Audrie's Law which is named after Saratoga High School student Audrie Pott who was sexually assaulted at a party while passed out.

The 15-year-old teenager took her own life after pictures of the incident were shared among other students.

The bill would deem a person defenseless if they are intoxicated, unconscious, or mentally disabled.

It also gives prosecutors the discretion to try juvenile attackers as adults in these cases.

The boys who admitted to assaulting Audrie received less than 45 days in juvenile detention.

Congresswoman Speier plans to take it a step further, by introducing a bill this spring in Congress.