Columbia University Students 'Walk A Mile In Her Shoes' To Take A Stand Against Sexual And Domestic Abuse
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork)-- It's not unusual to see dozens of college students walking through campus at Columbia University, but on Sunday it was all for a good cause.
Columbia University's campus was filled with a clacking of heels as men in fraternities and sports clubs joined women in a mile-long march on campus., CBS2's Magdalena Doris reported.
"You wear these and your adrenaline gets going because you're in constant danger of falling over," one participant said.
The strut is part of the international "Walk A Mile In Her Shoes" movement, which addresses domestic and sexual violence.
"It's kind of symbolic of the little things you just can't understand as a man that women have to deal with everyday with respect to things like catcalling and micro-aggression towards women," senior William Smith said.
While it might be a funny sight to see these guys strutting through campus and obviously struggling, this is a topic that hits close to home at Columbia University.
The school's handling of sexual assault cases made headlines when former student Emma Sulkowicz carried a mattress in protest after allegedly being raped on campus in 2012.
"I think it was something that, as terrible as it was, something that went from a dark situation to a very positive one because it's brought the issue to the forefront," Jadrian Guy, wice president of Columbia's rugby club, told CBS2.
Now students walk in solidarity with survivors.
"No college woman should be afraid to walk home at night," junior Jacqueline Basulto said.
"Promoting discourse about it and not being afraid to talk about it and say that it does happen that we need to fix it," sophomore Inga Norell said.