Okay, so more and more recently, sexual assault has been a huge topic of discussion. Can I just say, finally! This is what we need, whether it is comfortable or not.
Sexual assault and harassment are not okay; I think we can all agree to that. The next step is to inform people. It's scary just how many people, when faced with a rape accusation that is completely valid, don't even realize what they did. Just because you're a significant other or already went so far, does not mean it's okay for you to continue if they say stop. You don't get to say, "No, it's okay." Because guess what? It's not okay.
Not pushing someone off or not saying no is not a yes. Sometimes in mental states and situations like that, people become frozen because, well, it's traumatic. If they said yes at the beginning but now said stop, that means stop. You don't get to say, "Well, they said yes to begin with."
For a second, I just want to talk about how we don't discuss sexual assault often. Why is it taboo? Why is there no education on it? Why are victims so often blamed because they may have had a bit too much to drink or wore a shirt that looked "sexy"? This isn't just about teaching girls how to avoid being assaulted, this is teaching both boys and girls what assault is and what it looks like.
This is absolutely not a woman versus man topic, no matter how often it may look like that. Let's look at some statistics from the RAINN Organization. Males make up 10% of the rape victim population. As of 1998, 2.78 million men have experienced an attempted or completed rape. That number has just continued to grow. Males aged 18-24 are five times as likely to be victims of sexual assault than of other ages.
Since we're looking at statistics, let's look at how women are impacted in the United States. One in every six women have experienced an attempted or completed rape. Females aged 16-19 are four times more likely to be assaulted than others outside of that age range.
Sexual assault is a hot topic, and you know what? It needs to be. That's why we have been seeing "Me Too" as so many women's statuses.
Here's what you need to know, Me Too.
