44% of victims of sexual assault are under the age of 18.
4/5 assaults are committed by someone known to the victim.
Do these numbers disgust you? Because they should. I'm sure everyone reading this has heard these numbers, or something very close to spit at them during some college orientation, high school assembly or health class, and I'm also sure that just about everyone brushed it off saying "that will never be me" or "that doesn't happen around here"... well guess what, it does. I'm so sick of people brushing off sexual assault, rape, or any other hurtful crime (yes, these are crimes) as if they are nothing. Or even worse; blaming the victim. I don't care who you are, what you do, what you're wearing, rape is not your fault.
Too often nowadays, people jump to conclusions and blame the wrong people, but then sit around and wonder "why rape is still a thing". I will tell you why it is still a thing; Rape happens because when a someone goes to a party and gets taken advantage of, she/he is considered the problem, not the rapist. Rape happens because when someone says no, it apparently means try harder. Rape happens because when someone reaches out for help, their peers look down and make fun of them. Rape happens because people are made to feel embarrassed for something they are not at fault for. Rapists cause rape.
Rape Culture is all around us. Whether you identify as a feminist or a meninist or a whateverist--- nobody deserves to be sexually assaulted. Whether it was "intentional" or not, it happened. And it happens to people everyday. It is not something to make jokes about, it is not something to blame the victim for and it is surely not something that should be considered normal.
This isn't something that just happens when some scary person grabs you in the dark alleys of NYC on some Law & Order television show. It happens on our college campuses, in our house parties, our dorm rooms, our own homes. It's time to open your eyes people. You would think that in today's society people would be more aware and compassionate, but sadly that's not the case. As they say, "everyone's a critic". We need to take a step back in our society and figure out what the real issues are. Why are we so comfortable negatively and often cruelly labeling people we don't even know. Why are we teaching people "how to not get raped" (ie. don't wear revealing clothes, don't talk like this, don't do that) rather than teaching people not to rape?
I'm going to leave you with this, never judge a book by it's cover. Everyday people are fighting their own battles. Bullying is no longer something that just happens in schools, with new media technology, it follows people everywhere. Also, if you see something sketchy going on, step in. You never know how the little things you do could impact someones life. Think before you speak, and open your eyes to the real problems in the world we live in today.
