President Obama used the 2015 Grammy Awards as an opportunity to urge Americans to prevent sexual violence against women.
President Obama may have been the biggest winner of the 2015 Grammy Awards as his personal statement, which is a part of the “It’s On Us” campaign that was started by the White House in September to fight sexual assault on college campuses, led to the introduction of a woman named Brooke Axtell, according TIME.
Axtell reportedly told her own story of domestic violence after President Obama’s announcement. She reportedly sought help at a shelter after telling her mother that her partner threatened to kill her.
“Authentic love does not devalue another human being. Authentic love does not silence, shame and abuse,” Brooke Axtell told the crowd, according to ABC News.
She continued, “If you are in a relationship with someone who does not honor and respect you, I want you to know that you are worthy of love. Please reach out for help, your voice will save you. Let it park darkness, let is set you free to know who you truly are — valuable, beautiful, loved.”
Axtell has reportedly written an essay in the book “What I Know of Silence,” which detailed her experience of child sex-trafficking by a male nanny. The 34-year-old activist reportedly lives in Austin, Texas and is running communications for Allies Against Slavery.
Domestic abuse continues to be a problem in this country.
Research has reportedly shown that one in five women in the U.S. experience rape or attempted rape in college, and one in 16 men also experience some type of sexual assault. 80% of campus rapes were reportedly unreported to the authorities, according to the Justice Department.
Along with launching the “It’s On Us” campaign, the White House has reportedly begun to conduct investigations at colleges and universities across the country.
“It’s on us — all of us — to create a culture where violence isn’t tolerated, where survivors are supported, and where all our young people — men and women — can go as far as their talents and t heir dreams will take them,” stated President Obama.
