Chilling, isn’t it?
According to the World Health Organization, one in three women worldwide will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. That statistic is easy to read, for sure. But reflect on those odds for just a moment; if you have two sisters, one of them is likely to experience rape, assault or abuse. If you happen to live in a house of seven girls, like I do, then two of them will also be victims.
(Image Credit: Vimeo)
And the worst part is, this physical or sexual violence, is not from those “big bad wolves” that girls are usually warned to protect themselves from. Not the driver from an unauthorised taxi that you stumble into late at night. Not the man who jumps out at you from behind the bushes. That is the dramatic, apparently news worthy version. In reality, this rape, assault and violence will come from a male partner, close relative or family friend. Ironically, we are culturally conditioned to see them as the “knights in shining armour,” not the monsters.
It is the fact that these horrific acts are part of culture, because they are not realised, which is the most frightening. Like the video suggests, it might be that one time that boy slipped his hand down your jeans and you “just let him” because “that’s what girls do.” Or that time you had sex before you felt ready with a new person you were seeing; it was easier to lie back and stay quiet rather than speak up and risk losing a potential new boyfriend. And that new boyfriend is pretty nice really; buys you flowers on Valentine’s, is loved by all your friends, and plans to take you to France in the summer. Never mind that other night when he came home drunk from the pub and held onto your arms just that bit too tightly to get you to stop complaining. But, the thing is, everyone should mind, and needs to mind, if things are going to change.
(Photo Credit: Occupy)
This video starts to look at how embedded rape culture is within our society. Increasing awareness is the first step. However, there are many more steps to be taken. For myself, I hope that when I become a mother, my daughter is able to grow up in an environment where the only monsters lurking in her life are the ones I tell her about as I read her fairy tales before bedtime.
(Photo Credit: Prospect Magazine)