Season 14 • Episode 1122

How Can We Respond Better to Sexual Violence?

Episode Description

About this episode:

Headlines about an alleged sexual assault at Cornell University provide a devastating reminder of how common sexual violence is in the U.S., particularly among high school and college students. In this episode: Michele Decker, whose research focuses on gender-based violence prevention and response, discusses the scope of sexual violence as a public health problem, misconceptions about how it's perpetrated, and evidence-backed methods for prevention, survivor support, and accountability.

Note: This episode includes discussion of incidents of sexual assault. If you or someone you know are concerned about having experienced sexual violence or supporting a survivor, you can reach out to to http://RAINN.org or call 800-656-HOPE or text HOPE to 64673.

Guest:

Michele Decker, ScD, MPH, is a Bloomberg Professor of American Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the founder and director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Women's Health and Gender Equity.

Host:

Lindsay Smith Rogers, MA, is the producer of the Public Health On Call podcast, an editor for The Uptake, and the director of content strategy for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Show links and related content:

How a Cornell Student Went From Shame to Action—The New York Times
The Jeanne Clery Act—Clery Center
Chanel Miller reads her entire victim impact statement—60 Minutes via YouTube
The "Red Zone" of Sexual Assault—Johns Hopkins Student Well-Being Blog
Child Sexual Abuse is Preventable, Not Inevitable—Public Health On Call (August 2026)
The 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act—Public Health On Call (October 2024)
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) and the Dual Crises of Nurse Shortages & Post-Roe Fallout—Public Health On Call (November 2022)

Transcript information:

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