Sexual assault is one of the many topics people choose not to discuss due to its “uncomfortable” nature, and that is where the problem begins. All forms of sexual assault need to be talked about because it’s happening to our sisters, brothers, friends, parents and even ourselves.
Its presence on college campuses gets more relevant by the day.
One in 5 women and one in 16 men are sexually assaulted while in college.
You do not even have to dig too deep in research to discover college campuses subliminally protect rapists. Victims are walking on the same campuses as their rapists and abusers. Not everyone can endure that, which is completely understandable, so some victims are forced to transfer schools for their own sanity because nothing is being done to help them. How many news stories do we have to read of colleges not taking crimes against women seriously? Due to repeating tactics, we witness that it is more important to protect a school’s image and reputation than its students.
Let’s talk about consent.
Consent is not a hard concept to grasp, however, it is the most misinterpreted. Consent is an agreement where both sides are okay with engaging in sexual activity. It is everyone’s responsibility to make sure consent has been properly given beforehand.
Disclaimer: Not one human being is capable of giving consent while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Consent can also be taken away even if it had been given before.
Society lingers on this atrocious idea that a woman’s attire is equivalent to her giving consent.
Just because you do not hear “no”, does not automatically mean you have consent. Behaviors speak much louder than words.
Misconceptions
“What were you wearing?”
“You could have just said no.”
“If only you would have stayed home…”
The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that over 90 percent of sexual assault victims on college campuses do not report the assault.
A selfish environment has been created that makes victims of sexual assault feel ashamed. Women are treated like suspects in their own assault cases. On the other end, men are looked at as jokes because their masculinity did not protect them from sexual assault. The backlash is so disheartening that people are afraid to speak up for themselves. No one is talking, and it is not their fault.
It is happening in our backyards, yet no one seems to care enough. Colleges will host events to inform students about sexual harassment but do nothing when a victim reaches out to them. Colleges will celebrate and dedicate an entire week to sexual assault awareness but have several untouched rapists roaming campus. Putting on a good show while being sinister behind the scenes is quite disturbing. Students can take every measure to make sure they are safe, but even that cannot solely protect them from the evils of sexual assault and those who commit them. We need our schools to have our back. We need to feel like we matter when these crimes rise against us.