Sexual assault is always a hard topic to cover, no matter the age. No one wants to admit it happens, especially when it happens to them. Sadly the current statistics are about 1 in 5 women being sexually assaulted while in college. Colleges are working on having this number lowered by educating students, but is it really helping? I attended a presentation on sexual assault while in school andI hate to say I'm very disappointed in the response from my peers.
Like I said, no one likes admitting to being sexual assaulted. I know I don't. Going through it was hell and thinking about it doesn't get easier no matter how much you move on. Sitting in that audience while my classmates laughed, talked, or played one their phones really upset me and many others that I talked to. Sexual assault isn't a laughing matter. It affects someone's life in a long-lasting way. It may be funny to talk about slut-shaming, but does it stop? Do people realize the damage they do when they say cruel things? It was hard to just sit there, not to stand up and say something. Hell! It took me everything I had in me not to cry at the presentations because the point made brought back such horrible memories.
Nine years of trying to forget, trying to move on, having years of therapy and yet when the topic comes up and I still become ill to my stomach. I heat up from embarrassment and shame. I feel so powerless to my own memories I just want to hide, but I can't. That's probably the biggest problem of all — no victim should feel ashamed, or feel powerless. That's why I love attending presentations like this hearing that I'm not to blame no matter how many times I think it to myself; I do anything to deserve what happen to me. Getting that support even from a complete stranger can make me feel as powerful as I need. Hearing laughter, however, steals that away just as fast.
One of the main reasons I picked Lindenwood was because of the safety precautions campus security took, along with being honest about their assault history. In the past many colleges brushed sexual assault under the rug, blaming the victim and not punishing the person who assaulted them. Schools may be teaching about assault more but that doesn't mean students will take it seriously. I think that's the part that saddens me the most. The ignorance to the true dangers.
The point of this being please take this topic serious if not for your knowledge but for the respect of others. You have no idea if one of your peers sitting next to you have been assaulted or had a friend/ family member who had it happen. I may have had the control to not burst out with my thoughts or feelings but not everyone will be the same. Be conscious of others feelings, they might not react the way you do.
