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Culture

Why We Need Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Caroline Surface
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Coastal Carolina chapter.

TW: sexual assault/violence and suicide

I have always been passionate about the issues surrounding any form of sexual assualt/violence. As time has gone on, I am so proud of movements like the Me Too Movement, and I am still shocked that it can be controversial to some people. Sexual violence, in all forms, is never a political thing, but it is and has ALWAYS been a human thing. No one of any background or affiliation deserves to have their rights and choices stripped away from them. I knew I wanted to focus on this topic and write about how we need it – especially on college campuses across the world. Although, it is a hard topic to write about and I honestly didn’t really know where to start.

While many people of many different ages deal with sexual assault, I started by reading horrendous stories on college campuses about this topic. They were shocking, hard to read, and showed the true colors of some universities. Here are just a few that I found:

“A freshman, Anna, was allegedly raped in her second week at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in New York at a dance hall, allegedly by football players. A college panel cleared the football players in just 12 days and ignored evidence from Anna’s rape kit, while Anna faced retaliation from fellow students.”

“At the University of Missouri, a sophomore, Menu Corey, told a rape crisis counselor — and later a campus therapist, a campus nurse, and an athletic department administrator — that she had been sexually assaulted. The university never opened an investigation. Corey later killed herself.”

“Silvana Moccia, a student at the University of Connecticut, reported a rape to her hockey coach. In response, she was cut from the team.”

Along with all of these heartbreaking stories, I then saw these quotes from victims:

“Guys aren’t supposed to be victims. We’re supposed to be manly.” 

“I feel like I did that to myself.”

When we do not talk about sexual assault, we make it stigmitized. Then, in turn, the victims end up blaming themselves for something they did not do or cause to happen. Sexual assault is always the predators fault. When we make strict rules or put in place things like dress codes to “protect” we are hurting our students, and we are failing them. We are telling them that their worth and safety is dependent upon clothes or other things. When in reality, our safety should be dependent upon teaching those around us how to respect other human beings. Instead of victim blaming, we need to educate and push movements that help victims. 

RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence nonprofit organization, reported that 26.4% of female undergraduates experience rape/assault, 23.1% of Transgender/Nonconforming college students experience rape/assault, and 6.8% of male undergraduates experience rape/assault. To help combat these statistics and stories, RAINN helps victims by offering hotlines, counseling services, and they fight to give victims justice. Their website states that in the past 27 years, they have helped 3.7 million survivors and their family/friends. 

We need this month. We need more education. We need justice, and we need to provide support. You never know what someone’s story is or what they have gone through. This April, be kind, be loving, and keep fighting for what is right. 

National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-4673

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 800-273-8255

Caroline Surface

Coastal Carolina '25

Caroline is a junior Interactive Journalism Communication major at Coastal Carolina University. She is from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and has two cats and one dog. She was on the yearbook team all throughout high school, which is where she found her passion of telling stories through writing.