Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. Of those victims, over 50% are between the ages of 18 and 34.
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Over 35% of women have experienced physical or sexual violence.
1 out of every 10 rape victims is male.
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1 out of every 6 women in America has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.
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Male college students are 5 times more likely than non-students to be victims of rape.
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A study done by Stop Street Harassment in 2014, identified that 65% of women surveyed have experienced street harassment.
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1 in every 4 women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime.
(Sources: cnn.com/2017/11/25/health/sexual-haras... & rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-vi... )
These are just SOME of the statistics of sexual assault and violence that are plaguing our country today. This doesn't even include the rest of the statistics around the world about children, adolescents, young adults, and mature adults, who have experienced the pain and shame of sexual assault.
These statistics are unsettling, but they are completely factual. Have you ever wondered if you have been sexually assaulted or if you had done it to anyone else (either accidentally, purposefully, or drunkenly)? It's also important to realize that women are not the only ones who can be sexually assaulted; men can also be victims of rape and sexual violence too.
My story is much like that of any other college girl's. I was on the bus one winter night. It was dark, it was cold, and I was traveling alone. A man sat down next to me and started making seemingly friendly conversation. But what I've realized throughout my other experiences in my life is that this "seemingly friendly conversation" is much more in their eyes. Suddenly, he started getting more vulgar with his speech. He spoke about me in an objectifying and hypersexualized manner and he made lewd jokes that made me more and more uncomfortable.
I prayed that the bus would go faster and I prayed that whatever stop I got off of, there would be many people with me so I wouldn't be alone just in case he possibly followed me. Honestly, I was so scared that I was about to cry. Usually, in moments like this, I would text my friends to call me so I could seem distracted and make a speedy exit away from them. However, everyone I texted seemed busy that night and didn't answer.
I felt alone. I felt scared. I felt victimized.
My eyes darted from one person to another on the bus, each person made sad eye contact with me and then quickly looked away. It's almost as if their eyes were saying, "Sorry sis, you're on your own with this one".
I did, however, make eye contact with one girl who was directly in front of me. She was speaking with one of her friends when I first got on the bus, but as soon as the man started talking to me, she stopped her conversation to hear exactly what was going on. I looked at her, with my eyes wide with anguish and she nodded at me, trying to reassure me.
The bus suddenly came to a screeching halt. She and her friend immediately picked up their bags and she said to me, "Hey, you're getting off here, right?"
I jumped up and said, "Oh, yeah! Thanks!" and walked off the bus with her. In the background, I could hear the man yelling after me that he'll see me sometime again in the near future, which scared me half to death. As I walked with the girl and her friend, the bus pulled away, and I thanked them.
The girl said that she noticed me when the man had first sat down next to me, and she listened to our conversation. She said that had happened to her a few times before and she remembered how afraid she was because no one was there. Why not be there and help a fellow woman out when they're in need?
Shout out to the girls who stick up for other girls, am I right?
I was completely overjoyed and blessed to be in the presence of such amazing individuals. We exchanged phone numbers and social media accounts, and she walked me to the building I was supposed to go to.
Though I felt like I had won this fight, it didn't take long for the man's words to reverberate in my subconscious. Maybe I wouldn't see him again in the future, per say, but I'll definitely come across other people who will have the same intentions has he did. I was aware that my future might be plagued with many instances like this, and it scared me to wonder who else will be next.
It scared me to wonder who else won't get away as easily as I did.
It scared me to wonder who else would just become another statistic.
To the girl who saved me from being part of that, thank you.
I appreciate you and what you do to keep other people safe from harm. You have given me the confidence to stick up for other people who are in need of an anonymous angel. Maybe this will inspire other everywhere to not be passive and to speak up. Though this experience was a frightening one, it has further open my eyes to the atrocities of our world.
Thank you.