The month of April is known as sexual assault awareness month, throughout the month people share their stories, and they spread awareness by sharing help lines, therapists, and ways to cope.
According to RAINN, an organization that shows statistics of sexual assault and explains how to get help statistics show that in the United States, 1 in every 4 women has been a victim of sexual assault, and one in six women has nearly or been raped.
One in every thirty-three men is a victim of sexual assault. These percentages are just the people who have come forward and shared what has tragically happened to them.
People in our school, or our community, have been victims of this misfortune. Freshman Emily Kettle* shared that when she was eight years old, her elder brother had a few friends over, it was late in the night when the only ones awake were her, and one of the friends.
Emily was lying in bed while playing games on a laptop. When the friend came in and started making comments on her body, such as: “You have such a mature body for your age, to match that mature personality.”
The comments were one after another until the friend got on top of her, and proceed to rape her. Kettle said: “Yeah, I thought it was my fault, he said it was, so I was too ashamed to say anything.”
It is common for people who are victims of sexual assault, 68% of cases go unreported Some people are told it’s their fault, because of their clothes, and some are threatened, or simply shut down when they try to share what happened to them.
When people share what happened, one of the many offensive questions asked is “What were you wearing?” As if the clothes have anything to do with the actions of others, people get sexually assaulted in short dresses, sweatpants, pajamas, in anything you could imagine. An outfit is not an invitation.
Sexual assault is a very serious and unfortunate topic that is crucial to talk about, for those who are victims, it can be scary to speak about, and it can feel impossible to come forward about it. That is why we have this month as sexual assault awareness month, to show people that it’s helpful to come forward and share their stories.
During this month, people will make posts on social media, talk to family and friends about their stories, people will go to rallies or campaigns promoting awareness, and many more acts during this month.
Asking for help can be scary and hard, though, our school counselors can be a great help and provide for those in need, Counceler Laura Schnitzler said: “Well, the first thing I would do is talk to the student and make sure they’re alright. Then I’d get more people involved to make sure it all gets taken care of.”
If talking to someone in person makes people uncomfortable, you can text or call this helpline; 1-8006564673. The people at the sexual assault helpline have multiple ways to help people in all sorts of situations. They understand that anyone can be an abuser, and anyone can be a victim.
Emily Kettle* name has been changed to protect students’ safety
Helpline – 1-800 656 4673
Sources – https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics