The guidelines sent to schools by the Department of Education equip students and administrators with tips on how to prevent sexual assault on campus, and offer advice for helping victims readjust after attacks, according to Biden.
"Too often our society has chosen to ignore [sexual violence] rather than confronting it openly and honestly, and that denial must end," Duncan said. "Every school would like to believe it's immune from sexual violence, but the facts suggest otherwise."
The recommendations announced Monday were not only issued to shed light on effective tactics in combating sexual assault, but also to inform schools receiving federal funding that they are bound by the law to protect students from sexual violence, according to Duncan. These legal obligations stem from the passage of Title IX a law banning discrimination based on sex in education enacted in 1972 as an amendment to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
"Police and prosecutors have the job of investigating sexual assault and enforcing the laws, but educational institutions including K-12 schools, colleges and universities also share a responsibility under federal civil rights laws," Duncan said.
Biden and Duncan's announcement of the federal guidelines comes in the wake of the March 31 announcement that the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights received a 26-page complaint against Yale University stating that Yale has not effectively responded to the "sexually hostile" climate on campus, The New York Times reported.
In many sexual assault cases, victims and their families are not well informed, and investigations often drag on so long that victims leave school before perpetrators are convicted, according to Duncan.
Many complaints about sexual assault are not taken seriously if the victim was drinking alcohol or violating other school rules, and some colleges issue threats to victims if they publicly reveal information about the cases, he added.
"The misplaced sense of values and priorities in some of these cases is staggering, so there is a great deal of information spelled out in our guidance and we have offices all across the country to help schools and universities address these issues," Duncan said.
Victims of sexual assault are more likely to withdraw from school, suffer from depression and abuse alcohol and drugs, according to Duncan.
"We are deeply committed to the safety and security of every student in America, because we know that if children and young people aren't safe, they can't learn," Duncan said. "It's as simple and as fundamental a priority as that."
Producing guidelines for defining sexual assault is part of the Obama administration's goal to prevent sexual assault through education, and a large-scale attempt to safeguard students across the country from physical violence, Duncan said.
Biden said that although it is difficult, people must not only engage in preventing sexual assault, but expose it when they gain knowledge of incidents.
"These are your friends, your classmates, people you study with, people you have a beer with," Biden said. "You need to look out for each other."
UNH was an appropriate venue to announce the administration's guidelines on sexual assault due to the large number of innovative programs started at the university to prevent violence against women and provide resources for victims, UNH President Mark Huddleston said.
Biden recounted personal accounts from women who had been raped and either did not understand their rights as a rape victim or blamed themselves. Biden emphasized that there is no justification to engage in sexual acts with a woman without her consent, under any circumstances.
"When it comes to sexual abuse, it's quite simple," Biden said. "No means no no means no if you're drunk or you're sober."
Biden said that although the United States has seen progress in reducing domestic violence and in providing support for women through improved shelters since he drafted the 1994 Violence Against Woman Act legislation which appropriated funds for investigating and prosecuting cases of physical violence against women attitudes must change to continue combating the issue.
"There is no blanket solution, this is one woman at a time," Biden said. "We have our work cut out for us, but trust me, attitudes can change."
Biden described the fight against sexual violence as a moral obligation, and said there is a direct connection between the way American society responds to sexual assault and the character of the nation.
"A measure of our civility is the way we treat those who are most vulnerable," Biden said.
Studies show that those who have witnessed a mother or other family member abused may also later experience a criminal conviction, according to Biden.
"We also learned the catastrophic consequence it has for the women who were abused and the families of those who witnessed it," Biden said. "Abuse is a learned behavior. If you want to do one thing to end violence in America, or to impact on it the most, end abuse against women in our society."
Both Biden and Duncan referenced studies reporting that one in five females is sexually assaulted during college, while 6 percent of males report victimization during their college years.
