Sexual assault and violent crime against women has been making headlines recently. It’s not a pleasant topic of conversation, one that would rather be avoided. But it’s an important topic of conversation, especially for college students. 1 in 3 women during their college career are raped or sexually assaulted. Look around your lecture hall, apartment complex, club meetings, and there will be a sexual assault survivor within your midst.
Some sexual assault survivors are strong, like Columbia University senior Emma Sulkowicz, who is carrying a dorm room mattress around campus for her senior thesis. Sulkowicz is demonstrating to her university that it is unacceptable for her rapist to be allowed to attend school after he was found to have raped her.
The truth is, it’s on us as society to prevent rape and sexual assault. The idea that young women have to be taught not to get raped, instead of teaching young men not to rape is horrifying and down right ridiculous. But it’s important for every college aged women to be prepared for a situation in which they might find themselves vulnerable. Be it date rape, acquaintance rape, an intruder attack or anything in between.
Many students are outraged at their individual universities and how little they do to prevent and deal with sex crimes on campus. USF can still improve, but we do have an avid “Got Consent?” campaign. In addition, there is the Center for Victim Advocacy & Violence Prevention office on campus that can assist survivors of rape through the process of filing university complaints, police reports, and all legal proceedings, as well as offer any counseling for the victims.
Sexual assaults on university campuses are widely under reported to authorities. If you are a victim of sexual assault, are suspicious someone was assaulted, or know someone who was assaulted, please seek and encourage them to seek help. The only people who can prevent sexual assault from happening is us. It’s on us.
Photo Credits:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/agc5141/blogs/aleece_churney/02_photos_slutwalk_DC_2011_487919024.jpg
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