In Zimbabwe, some men believe raping young girls will cure them of HIV/AIDS, according to a film shown as part of TCU V-Day.

The movie “Tapestries of Hope,” screened as part of the TCU V-Day campaign to end violence against women at the Brown-Lupton University Union Ballroom on Wednesday, explored the stories of these Zimbabwean girls.

Stevie Tardiff, who organized the screening, said that although the film presented the plight of young girls in Africa, it explored issues of sexual assault relevant to a college community.

One in four college women are sexually abused before they receive their diploma, she said.

Tardiff, a senior theatre major, said she was concerned that sexual assault on TCU’s campus, as well as other college campuses, was often perceived as “the victim’s problem.”

“In the TCU alert emails we receive, it usually begins with, ‘A woman was assaulted,’” she said. “It should say, ‘A man assaulted a woman.’”

Educating students about sexual assault was the most important step toward eradicating it, Tardiff said.

Assistant Dean of Campus Life for Health Promotion Karen Morgan said many students knew a friend who had been sexually assaulted. The first step people could take to help them was to let those friends know they were concerned, she said.

Victims of assault had many options, Morgan said. A student could file a report with campus police, Fort Worth police and the Campus Life office, she said.

According to the TCU Sexual Assault Policy, “The victim has the option, if desired, of seeking on-campus disciplinary actions within the university judicial system if the alleged assailant is a TCU student.”

Michealene Cristini Risley, who directed “Tapestries of Hope,” spoke out about her own abuse in the film. She said she felt telling her story and the story of the young girls could help empower women worldwide.