TW: Mentions of sexual assault and death
The terminology we use for sexual assault that takes place is very important when it comes to educating the community about harms that have been committed. Many newspapers tend to disguise sexual assault as things like “inappropriately touched,” “child touched by…” and “…grabbing woman.” Why is the media so afraid to use the words “sexual assault” when that is the crime that took place?
We also tend to victim-blame in newspaper articles, using sentences like: “Woman wearing…” “alleged cases,” “coerced into situations.” These sentences make us think about the victim as someone who was “asking for it” or “lying” about her situation, which is not the case. We should be supporting these victims instead of revictimizing them and making them believe that their behaviors have anything to do with the abuse they have suffered. If the blame falls on anyone, it falls on the perpetrator for their behaviors and actions towards the victim to cause harm to another human being.
On September 1st, 2021, an unknown man entered Tampa Bay dorms and according to Fox 13’s article, a student was “inappropriately touched.” On September 11th, 2021 at 2am, 20 female students at Western University were drugged, and two of these women were sexually assaulted. But in Global News’s article disclosing the crime, they used the terminology “inappropriately touched.” Having a lack of terminology and using “inappropriately touched” makes it seem like the media is attempting to hide the fact that there are sexual assaults that take place each and every day. It also is a form making these cases of sexual assault seem less harmful and less valid than they are.
If we found out someone had drowned in 2 feet of water, we don’t compare it to someone who had drowned in 6 feet of water. Both of these individuals, in this case, were in a body of water and died, and neither experience means any less than the other. These victims of drowning both lost their lives, and it is just as important to talk about both as such. So why is it that when a victim of sexual assault is “touched” versus “raped” do we use different terminology to explain that being touched is less harmful and less important than someone who has been raped?
Survivors of sexual assault have different reactions to different scenarios; that’s normal. Some victims go on and become activists, and don’t allow for their experience to shape their entire life. And other victims need help renavigating the rest of their lives due to the trauma they have experienced. Neither is wrong in their reaction, and neither is reacting in a way that they shouldn’t be. Each trauma survivor is different and takes on their emotions from the trauma differently, and we should not compare their reactions, experiences, or their stories and treat these survivors the same way that we would treat the 2 drowning victims’ case as stated above.
As a survivor, I have decided to use my voice to advocate for other survivors, and I’m sure some survivors that are out there refuse to share their stories due to their embarrassment. And I encourage these survivors to stay silent if they wish, because it is their story to tell on their own terms. We need to remind victims and survivors that they are heard, valued, valid, and loved. We don’t need to revictimize them or make them feel they are not supported. We need to be using words in newspapers of “Woman sexually assaulted,” “Woman harmed,” “Child rapist charged,” “Perpetrator found guilty.” These are not only validating titles, but we need to ensure that the victim feels supported through our media and not blamed for their past, their behaviors, their attire, their nightly walks, etc. People should be allowed to live their lives without the fear that someone is going to come and hurt them at any moment, and that their actions at night determine their safety.