It's been a few days since America's nightmare has come true. For me, it is actually scary. As someone who has been the victim of sexual assault, I can't get over how millions of Americans looked over the fact that he has sexually assaulted women and did not even think twice about it. It brings me to the point of how rape in America has become particularly quiet or how we've started excusing incidents of rape when it is convenient for us. Personally, it makes me sick to my stomach thinking about it, but it definitely appears that people need to hear this. This issue is more than whether you are a Republican or Democrat, it is more about whether you stand for morals, values and the law itself. It appears that millions of Americans have decided that morals and values are irrelevant, and I personally cannot sit in silence about this.
Every 2 minutes, a person becomes a victim of sexual assault. The organization RAINN states, "On average, there are 288,820 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States." That means children, who are just learning about their body functions, are experiencing this. Majority of sexual assault victims are between the ages of 18-34 when the assault occurs. Therefore, many people are sexually assaulted in the United States alone. Now you may believe that sexual assault only involves rape, but this is absolutely wrong. Sexual assault is classified as unwanted touching, attempted rape, rape, and/or someone who forces the victim to perform sexual acts. This leads me to say that Donald Trump's accusations of groping a women in their private areas is sexual assault.
Many sexual assaults go unreported because of fear of persecution towards the victim. It is estimated that over 80% of sexual assault cases go unreported, but it is possibly more than that. Victims feel that their cases will not be handled fairly or that the abuser will retaliate against them. For example, many people know about the Brock Turner case. Because of his status at Stanford University and his athletic skills, the judge felt bad for him and he only went to jail for 3 months. Can you imagine what the victim thought when he was sentenced? She probably felt like she never should have said anything or that her situation wasn't important in the eyes of the law.
Many victims keep the sexual assault to themselves and this causes many emotional issues such as PTSD, depression, and suicide. I have personally been sexually assaulted twice in my life and suffered from these emotional issues because of it. I kept both of them a secret for several years feeling as if no one would care, nothing would be done to the people that hurt me, and that admitting to it would make me weak. This has caused years of pain for me and I am just now starting to get into the recovery stage of it all because I told my parents about it and received help, but so many victims don't. Sexual assault victims look at the presidential election, and Brock Turner, and feel like they don't matter. They feel like there is no one on their side to support them and give them the justice they deserve.
This is what the problem is in our culture. So many people suffer in silence because they receive persecution for asking for help. Many rape victims have been blamed for the rape and this is almost like a stab in the chest. As I watched the presidential election and the results poured in, it shamed me. It particularly shames me that women are going to Trump rallies with shirts saying, "Trump can grab my p***y". How is this acceptable? How are Americans looking for leadership from a man that has hurt so many women? It is puzzling to me and it breaks my heart how far set back we have gotten. I'm saddened by all this and I hope people look at this election and see the many social problems we have in America. Rape culture being one of them. Please look at Trump, Brock Turner, and many others who have hurt victims and tell your family what is wrong with this. No matter if they are Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, etc. This subject should matter to everyone because sexual assault can happen to anyone (boy, girl, man, woman).
