On the Ground with Harrison James

I Have The Right To interviewed Harrison James who is the co-founder of the Independent School End Sexual Violence Coalition (ISESVC). Harrison is a current junior at a boarding school in New England. For his contributions to the end sexual violence movement, Harrison has been honored as a Gold Medalist by the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Awards and a Daily Point of Light Award by Points of Light. ISESVC is a youth-led coalition of students dedicated to anti-sexual violence mobilization across independent school campuses. Their mission is to operate a network advancing social practices and structural change in an effort to prevent sexual violence and mitigate its effects. 

What do you want students to know about your work and the influence they have?

I want students to understand that sexual violence happens every day and everywhere, to the point that it has become so normalized. We all know someone who has been directly affected. 

Students need to be aware of the fact that cultures conceal and protect each other’s secrets. If sexual violence occurs, students must believe the survivor and support one another. The concept of an individual protecting a perpetrator because they may be friends with them or on the same sports team needs to end immediately. Students are the ones who can truly change this narrative. 

Students also need to be aware that they are capable of making meaningful contributions to the end sexual violence movement at independent schools. They can form clubs or groups. They can pitch to the administration what they want to be recognized for, serving as a formidable group that keeps educators and peers in check.

What do parents need to know?

Parents need to do research and verse themselves in what the school culture is like. They have a responsibility to learn what protocols are in place to ensure students are protected from potential sexual violence.

Parents need to ask educators the right questions until they are assured that their child is in capable hands. Questions may include: What are the numbers and ratios year-to-year of reports of sexual violence; What have you done in the past to hold perpetrators accountable?; What are the deterrents in place to protect the student body from potential sexual predators? Parents should ask to see the reports and statistics as well as anything the school can legally distribute to the public. 

Parents need to be aware of a school’s reporting procedure for survivors of sexual violence and/or anyone who knows someone either inflicting abuse or having been victimized. Parents can and must keep educators in check in terms of these reporting practices. Parents need to dismantle the idea that another parent is already doing this kind of work; to truly mobilize, it takes a contribution from all constituents.

What might educators not be aware of?

Unfortunately, the problem starts with educators. Educators need to openly discuss the topic of sexual violence and continually remind students of the protocols in place. They are the people who fail the parents and students by not prioritizing and publicizing the dangers of sexual violence. The first cause of action by an educator should be ensuring that their pupils are safe in a shared environment. 

Educators need to create an environment where peer pressure and ‘social capital’ is dismantled when it comes to speaking up and seeking help. Educators also need to advocate for an anonymous reporting system; our coalition believes that this is the first step to an equitable system of accountability.

Educators need to incentivize students to speak up when witnessing or hearing of sexual violence. A way to do this is to ensure that students who do report counts of sexual violence aren’t jeopardized in terms of their autonomy as well as their position within a school. (We have heard that one of the reasons why students are afraid to report is the fact that they are scared of educators. They are scared of being shamed, not believed, or that their particular situation might not be taken seriously.)

Educators cannot be afraid to hold other educators accountable. Similarly, there needs to be some sort of discipline for an educator who retaliates against a student or fellow educator for coming forth.
You can learn more about Harrison’s work by visiting the ISESVC website at https://www.isesvc.org/.