Sexual assault. I know what you’re thinking: this topic has been written about to death. Well, then why isn’t there any change happening? It’s easy for us to talk about the thousands of things that are wrong with society, but none of it matters unless there’s any change. And that change starts from the very first level.
Sexual assault. I know what you’re thinking: this topic has been written about to death. Well, then why isn’t there any change happening? It’s easy for us to talk about the thousands of things that are wrong with society, but none of it matters unless there’s any change. And that change starts from the very first level.
There’s an inherent problem with the socialization in our society. When it comes to issues of sexual assault, our first thought is to chide the victim. After all, if she wasn’t wearing such a short skirt or such a revealing top, none of this would’ve happened, right? Wrong. This happened because of the abuser. No change in outfit would’ve prevented them from trying to get handsy. No longer pair of pants would have stopped them from trying to take what wasn’t theirs. Yet still, we continue to focus on the victim. How does that make sense?
I live in a society where girls don’t go out at night unless they’re accompanied by a buff boy. Where I have to put a jacket on over my tank top before answering the door. Where people have to carry around pepper spray in broad daylight to ward off attackers. Because the shame in such an incident lies solely on the victim. How can we expect to see a change, if we’re not willing to start changing our own households? Teach your children that touching anyone without their consent is not only a crime, but is shameful and an ugly thing to do. Eliminate the phrase “they were asking for it” from your vocabulary. Listen to people when they tell you that a situation is making them uncomfortable, and make a change. You can’t expect other people to make changes if you aren’t willing to yourself. If we all start small, we have the power to become a society where everyone can truly feel safe and isn’t that what we all want for our futures?
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