A Fight For Safety
intro
It was once said by Tarana Burke, an American Activist, “When one person says, ‘Yeah, me, too’ it gives permission for others to open up.” In 2006, Tarana Burke created the #MeToo movement. This movement was all about protecting and creating a voice for sexual assault victims. She stated this quote during the rise of the movement and it created uproar in the public because people weren't sure about it at first. Tarana explained that the movement is not about taking powerful men down but about taking down powerful abusers. She stated this quote to shine a light on the movement telling people that “it's about having an outlet to tell your truth.” Another important civil activist, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.” Even though Tarana Burke and Martin Luther King Jr. were born in different times, the quotes mesh together in a beautiful way: with Burk and King both discussing how important it is to speak up and by doing so, it creates a safe space for people to have the courage to talk about their experiences as well. Which is a good thing, because in the US, there are many cases of sexual assault. Bringing a couple questions to mind, like: What preventative measures can be taken to ensure people are safer? What, exactly, causes this problem? How, exactly, can people create safe spaces?
"When one person says, 'Yeah, me too' it gives permission for others to open up."
Tarana Burke
Safety
The issue in today's society is that people don't always listen. On many occasions not understanding the situation is simply because a person was not listening. An example of that could be rape myths. According to the article “What's in the label” it says, “defined as “attitudes and beliefs that are generally false…” (Newins, et al. 2). A rape myth is a myth created by society about a victim or a situation but these myths create hostel environments for victims. As stated in the article, “The Grey Area of Defining Sexual Assault” it says “to reduce the prevalence of sexual assault it is imperative to understand how sexual assault is constructed and defined” (Baldwin, Bazemore). Before the #MeToo movement, it was difficult for sexual assault victims to get the recognition they deserved. Back in October of 2017 was when the movement started gaining speed against sexual assault. According to the article “What's in a label?” The #MeToo movement “increased public awareness of sexual assault, for example, 19 million tweets included the #MeToo” (Newins, et al 2). Meaning 19 million people came forward about their experiences and a small tweet only caused that.
When sexual assault happens, it is dangerous to assume that it is limited to only the female gender. Although in today’s society, people tend to pay more attention to the assault of women, the assaults of men are often overlooked and in turn, add to the roadblock that prevents people from overcoming this issue. Some of the statistics, gathered from “Thebestschools.org”, says that, “every 98 seconds someone is sexually assaulted”. In women “one out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime” (Rich). In men, “One in 33 has experienced an attempted or completed rape” (Rich). The numbers are smaller but the impact isn't. Building a sense of a trilogy where everyone feels they can talk about their experiences. It can bring everyone together to create another movement or another solution yet again, and increase that sense of community.
The effect that comes from being a sexual assault victim can be detrimental to someone. In many instances, according to the article “What's in the Label”, when a victim doesn't get the proper help or support they often don't even know how to acknowledge that they are a victim. As said in the article, “survivors who haven't acknowledged their victimization/ likely to continue romantic involvement with the perpetrator.” (Newins. et al., 2). Alongside that, as stated in the article, “The Grey Area Of defining Sexual Assault”, women after the fact of the incident are way more at risk for intense mental effects “experience increased depression risk, anxiety, suicidal ideation posttraumatic stress disorder and eating disorder”( Baldwin, et al.,1). Having these disorders could seriously impede on someone's everyday performance. It's good to bring awareness to women so they are informed but awareness shouldn't be limited to just women. In the article “Scope and correlates of high school youths exposure to dating and sexual violence”(Edwards. et al.,3). It states, “ Youth…15-17, had been exposed specifically to a DSV prevention program” in another paragraph it talks about the results, stating that “The majority(66%) rated it at very or somewhat helpful”(Edwards. et al.,3). Prevention programs and a bit of education could help to a great extent.
The trick is finding out what they are and which method of prevention works and how it works. In “Scope and Correlates of High School youths’ Exposure to Dating and Sexual Violence Prevention Initiatives”, they discuss different ways to have prevention and the first step getting people to care. “. . . one key component of effective prevention messaging. . . individuals need to believe the behavior is relevant” (Edwards, et. al 128). Making sure people relate to said problem, illustrating the importance and making people believe it is imperative. Belief and dedication is one thing, but without awareness there can be no dedication to the prevention and destruction of the issues of sexual assault. In “Sexual Assault on Campus”, along with going over a quick blurb on how to get help, they state “. . . important to realize the severity of this issue. . . recognize that sexual assault is not limited to one. . .group” (Rich). As important as raising awareness of this issue is breaking out of the mindset that that it only happens to a specific group. Both as a society and as individuals, clarity is as needed as water to fight and prevent this issue. “What is a label? The Impact of Media and Sexual Assault Characteristics on Survivor Rape Acknowledgement” discusses the statistics behind how much people defines their experience, how they define it, if they define/label it as rape, and if they are willing to get help for it. “. . . who do not label their experience as rape are less likely to receive. .. health services” (Newins, et. al 405). This implies that if one does not label or accept their experience it makes it that much harder to gain help. Ingrating sexual assault prevention into education as soon as possible so that people know how to from a younger age releases some of the stigma and lets people know they are safe to speak up about it.
Moreover, the awareness and prevention started with the #MeToo movement. Again, in “What is a Label? The Impact of Media and Sexual Assault Characteristics on Survivor Rape Acknowledgement” goes into depth in the background about the #MeToo movement. “. . . more than 19 million tweets included the hashtag #MeToo. . .” (Newins, et. al 405). The #MeToo movement started raising awareness as well as starting to realize that rape myths were more of rape stereotypes. “. . .many individuals sharing stories of sexual violence that do not fit stereotyped rape script” (Newins et. al 406). Since survivors were sharing their stories, many as unique as each jewel is, other survivors that most likely didn’t feel comfortable prior to this started sharing their stories as well. This, in turn, started to expose people to different beliefs and realizations. “The #MeToo movement may have exposed survivors to alternative beliefs. . . which may, in turn, have influenced how they conceptualization” (Newins et. al 406). Seeing all the different stories from other people not only made survivors more comfortable but also shed more light onto an issue that needed to be solved and had people starting to believe that this is an issue that is relevant to them. Furthermore, it could also prove that community can help heal and make people feel more heard and not so alone. Which means the sharing of stories about sexual assault encourages other people to speak up and make a difference.
Undoubtedly, sexual assault impacts society by not having clearer understandings of what sexual assault is. In the article, “The Gray Area of Defining Sexual Assault: An Exploratory Study of College Students’ Perceptions”, they conclude that the definition of what sexual assault by studying how the individual defines it as, and each definition varying depending on the person. “. . . man participant stating ‘if he did not know she was drunk, it is hard to say if it was sexual assault’” (Baldwin-White 257); unbeknownst to the particular individual, this perfectly demonstates the assumption that the perpetrator will be a man and the victim will be a women. Which is adherence to rape myths, or incorrect beliefs about rape, otherwise known as rape stereotypes. “. . .society sustains rape culture. . .through the. . . adherence to rape myths” (Baldwin-White 257) with the establishment of rape myths, many survivors may feel that since their experience does not adhere to these myths that their experience was not rape. Sexual assault and rape can happen to anyone, regardless of gender. Not only does the adherence to rape myths effect the overall mental health of victims, but so do the mental repercussions from the actual crime itself. “Victims. . . experience increased risk of depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation. . .” (Baldwin-White 257) these are only a couple of the side effects and mental repercussions for victims of sexual assault. The impact of this single issue affecting hundreds is slowly damaging youth’s mental health.
Prevention
“Our lives begin to end the moment we become silent about the things that matter.”