A White House task force has released a set of recommendations on how to prevent and respond to sexual assault on college campuses.

“We are here to tell sexual assault survivors that they are not alone,” states a report from the Task Force to Protect Students From Sexual Assault, formed by President Obama in January. “And we’re also here to help schools live up to their obligation to protect students from sexual violence.”

The task force will provide schools with a toolkit to conduct a survey on the “campus climate” — which the administration will consider mandating by 2016 — and information on how to “implement their own bystander intervention programs on campus.” For survivors of sexual assault, the task force will provide “a model reporting and confidentiality protocol — which, at its heart, aims to give survivors more control over the process.”

“Victims who want their school to fully investigate an incident must be taken seriously — and know where to report,” the task force report states. “But for those who aren’t quite ready, they need to have — and know about — places to go for confidential advice and support. That means a school should make it clear, up front, who on campus can maintain a victim’s confidence and who can’t – so a victim can make an informed decision about where best to turn. A school’s policy should also explain when it may need to override a confidentiality request (and pursue an alleged perpetrator) in order to help provide a safe campus for everyone. Our sample policy provides recommendations for how a school can strike that often difficult balance, while also being ever mindful of a survivor’s well-being.”

Trauma-informed training programs will also be available to campus officials and local law enforcement.

The White House also launched NotAlone.gov, which provides resources for students and schools. For example, the website details how a student can file a Title IX complaint against her school. Data on sexual assault, including reports from the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice on individual schools, is also available.

“The action steps and recommendations highlighted in this report are the initial phase of an
ongoing plan,” the report concludes. “We will continue to work toward solutions, clarity, and better coordination. … Our work continues.”

Read the recommendations here [PDF].

Update: Here’s a PSA for the campaign.