Washington (CNN) Actor Terry Crews called on men to speak more about sexual assault -- both as victims and their roles perpetuating sexual violence -- in order to lessen the stigma survivors face in American life.

Crews was speaking Tuesday at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for the Sexual Assault Survivors' Bill of Rights. The actor, who went public in October 2017 accusing a Hollywood executive of groping him at an industry event, cited the "cult of toxic masculinity" throughout the testimony as a primary perpetrator for the prevalence of sexual assault against women and other men alike.

He remarked that manhood "tends to be 'cultish,'" and men will "protect each other," even if at the expense of a victim, resulting in a "complicit system."

The "silence," Crews said, is "deafening when it comes to men talking about this issue."

Crews spoke alongside Amanda Nyugen, whose initial draft and advocacy efforts for the bill led to its signing by President Barack Obama in October 2016. The bill, which passed with strong bipartisan support, provides federal rights to survivors of sexual assault, such as the preservation of rape kits and evidence at the discretion of the victim.

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