On Sunday night Vice President Joe Biden and performer Lady Gaga added their voices to the fight against what many call an epidemic.
Surrounded by victims of sexual assault, Lady Gaga sang "Til it Happens to You," a performance that brought the audience to tears.
For several University of California, Berkeley students the performance hit home.
"Maybe people are starting to realize how big this issue and prevalent it is in our society," said Stephanie Garcia, a sophomore at UC Berkeley.
Garcia said she was sexually assaulted by another student last year, leaving her scarred in every way.
"Psychologically, mentally, physically, emotionally and academically," Garcia said.
UC Berkeley has seen its share of sexual assaults, Police said in February three women were assaulted near campus. The suspect in the alleged assaults was captured running away on video and has yet to be caught.
Another woman was assaulted at a fraternity.
"It makes me feel very unsafe," said Shivani Narang, the co-chair of Cal's student sexual assault commission.
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Narang said the university has made recent strides to tackle the problem, like hiring confidential care advocates to work with victims, but said more needs to be done.
"A lot of it is red rap," Narang said. "A lot of it is bureaucracy."
Students hope Sunday's performance will lead to more changes and take the issue of sexual assault out of the shadows.
