Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

Garcia et al. (2012) argue that the sexual assault rates of college students are higher than the national rates. Moreover, that universities can provide preventive education and support services to a high-risk group. Sexual harassment is a common experience among university students in the United States (Campbell, J.C. et al., 2017). International students like domestic students are not prone to sexual harassment and violence on campus. International students could experience difficulties in adjusting to the new environment that may lead to victimization: due to language; cultural barriers to interacting with U.S. students; lack of social support; pressures regarding high academic expectations and lack of finances. These factors could lead to an increased potential of being victimized (University of New Hampshire, 2018). The cultural difference in sexual issues can be tricky: norms that are not considered appropriate in the U.S. may be considered appropriate in another culture (Brown University, 2018).Sexual assault is prevalent among college students. In response, universities have implemented prevention education initiatives. These interventions, however, often ignore the broader sociocultural context in which sexual violence occurs. This calls for innovative approaches to prevention education, which address the broader context (Jozkowski, 2015). Therefore, this paper aims to find how international students at Washington University in St. Louis understand sexual harassment and violence. This paper will explore factors such as knowledge, and attitudes toward services provided by the campus. The paper would also explore the cultural aspect of sexual harassment. That is how the concept is defined in different cultures. The study will also look at how domestic students interpret the concept of sexual harassment and violence to international students. This study is one of the first papers to attempt sexual harassment and violence on international students at Washington University in St. Louis.