Students can prevent sexual assault cases
To think that in 2013, survivors of sexual assault must grapple with either reporting the horrific incidents and face public scrutiny or living in silence. This is disgusting.
These survivors often feel shocked and disheartened when they soon realize that their own decisions and actions will be examined, judged and often blamed for the assault.
Similar sentiments are recalled by a current graduate student studying social work at Cal State Long Beach who wished to remain anonymous.
“Law enforcement never apprehended the culprit, and I became afraid for me and for other women out there, but what hurt the most was my own stepfather asking me what I was wearing when the assault took place. Did I provoke him with my choice of clothing? Did I walk or behave in a certain manner as to elicit the assault by this individual?”
This CSULB student is just one of the vast number of survivors who report sexual assaults only to find themselves being both blamed and shamed for their attacks. The negative stigma associated with sexual assaults has the potential to create a barrier to reporting the incidents to law enforcement, and this is a travesty. This year, the National Sexual Violence Resource Center reported that one in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives – and these are only the cases that have been reported. This statistic is terrifying and should cause all of us to think about what we can do to decrease it.
With April being Sexual Assault Awareness month, we beg you to take the time to learn more about sexual assault and what you can do to make sure that during the time you have read this article that one more person is not sexually assaulted or raped.
The Steubenville, Ohio rape case has been all over the headlines recently. To us, what is most abhorrent about the entire situation is that the rapists, along with friends who filmed Jane Doe being dragged around unconscious and the perpetrators’ football coach who laughed at the so-called “prank,” did not realize that a sexual assault was taking place. To us, individuals with experience in the area of sexual assault awareness, the case is frankly depressing.
It is evident that there is still a great need to disseminate the facts about rape and sexual assault. In spreading awareness of sexual assault, we can begin to change the stigma connected with sexual assault and rape and hopefully prevent further abuse. One simple step we can take is to educate ourselves and educate others about sexual assault. Sexual assault is preventable, and knowledge and awareness are the key components to decreasing the number of individuals who fall victim to sexual assault.
Liz Chalme, Vanessa Gonsalez, Karina Quintero, Angela Ruiz and Miriam Vitela are graduate social work students at CSULB.