James Bond Teams Up With President Obama on a Powerful Sexual Assault PSA

Daniel Craig and a slew of Hollywood’s leading men join the White House to make it clear: If a woman doesn’t (or can’t) consent to sex, it’s rape.
Apr 30, 2014·
Culture and education editor Liz Dwyer has written about race, parenting, and social justice for several national publications. She was previously education editor at Good.

If a woman doesn’t—or can’t—consent to sex, it’s rape. That’s the clear message of 1 is 2 Many, a new awareness campaign from the White House. Because preventing sexual violence is everyone’s responsibility, President Obama and Vice President Biden have teamed up with Daniel Craig and a crew of Hollywood heavyweights on a new awareness PSA.

In the above video, Craig, Benicio Del Toro, Dulé Hill, Seth Meyers, and Steve Carell tell viewers that it’s up to the public to put an end to sexual assault—and a big part of that is refusing to be a bystander. Craig is particularly effective when he says, “If I saw it happening, I wouldn’t blame her—I’d help her.”

The PSA is part of a committment by the White House to help end such violence. On Tuesday the Obama administration issued a new report about campus rape and announced plans for a website called Not Alone, which will provide support and resources for sexual assault survivors, their advocates, and universities.

The campaign’s Web page notes that “in the last year, one in 10 teens have reported being physically hurt on purpose by a boyfriend or girlfriend,” and “one in five young women have been sexually assaulted while they’re in college.”

However, says the page, “male survivors are no less important.” Although Biden plans to focus on “reducing violence against women—specifically on teens, students, and young women ages 16 to 24” and is pushing for “the inclusion of vulnerable groups in the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act,” the site says “he remains committed to supporting all survivors.”