When I started my freshman year of college, my mother packed food and necessities. My brother and cousins gave me electronics and little trinkets to remind me of home. My oldest cousin gave me a rape whistle. My father gave me mace.
During my freshman year, my guy friends asked me repeatedly to carry my mace around “just in case.” My friends hated it when I walked around alone and made a point to call me if they knew I was by myself.
As sad as this sounds, it is a reality that nearly all women face. There is, and always will be, a fear of something happening when alone in public, or even with an acquaintance. In most sexual assaults, the attacker is someone the victim knows.
The rape culture in the United States is perpetuated by our society. Movies and television programs show that it is okay to have sex with a woman without her consent and bear little to no consequences at all. This has been reflected in our legal system as well. So far, there has not been a major sexual assault case in the United States where the attacker was severely punished.
The news that Brock Turner, the rapist who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman, was released from jail three months early from his original six-month sentence could not come at a more prime time. Everyone I talked to thought this was interesting because the victim had never met Turner. Because of this clear fact, I thought it would be obvious that he was beyond guilty and deserved a maximum sentence of 14 years in a state prison. Though it is horrible news, it reminds women everywhere to be careful everywhere they go.
I cannot scroll through my news feed without having an article or something pop up about a woman or child getting assaulted. The more I look into the stories, the angrier I get because this should not happen. Ever. I cannot stress this enough; it breaks my heart a little every single time.
As a 19-year-old college woman, my biggest fear is the possibility of getting attacked. If I am walking around alone at night, I always call someone. I hold my keys between my fingers like weapons in case I need to throw a punch. I grasp onto my mace like it will stop anything bad from happening. Even with all these self-defense techniques I have learned over the years, I know I can easily be overpowered. And that terrifies me.
As a society, changes need to be made and soon. There are a lot of reasons why rape happens but none of that matters anymore. Excuses cannot be made for a sexual assaulter. They should be the ones who are held accountable for their actions. The only thing that matters is consent. If it wasn't consensual, it was sexual assault.
But until those changes can be made and the rape culture is eliminated in society, be safe and take precautions wherever you go.
