The Red Zone: What to know about sexual violence on campuses

The Spark

The red zone is a period of time on a college campus when the risk of sexual assault is the highest, typically from the start of the fall semester to Thanksgiving break. Lili Duarte- Evans, Vice President of the YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County says it’s a time where students experience the most sexual assault.

“So, we have students for the first time being away from home. And when you're going into college, what you hear a lot is trying new things, right? Get out of your comfort zone and befriend all. And that really makes students vulnerable. For people that are wanting to cause harm in this type of way.”

The YWCA Carlisle & Cumberland County provides support and services for all people. One of the programs Duarte-Evans oversees is the sexual assault and anti-human trafficking services where they help victims, survivors, and their loved ones in the aftermath of violence, sexual assault, or trafficking. If a student experiences something traumatic like sexual assault on campus, Durate-Evens recommends reaching out for help.

“My advice is to know that there are resources and support available, and it doesn't always have to be that you are reporting right away. Right. It takes time to really get comfortable with the idea of having to explain this to a lot of people to include, you know, police and or investigating individuals so know that there are confidential spaces built in either on your college campus or outside within the community. It's very easy now. It's on your phone. You can pull up Google and or whatever search engine and search for confidential support for sexual assault.”

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