Picture this: you’re a college freshman and it is your first week on the campus. Hints of freedom and bliss litter the air as you step away from your parents longing hugs and enter into what will be some of the greatest times of your life. However, just because it is supposed to be great, doesn’t mean that it always will be. For those that meet their best friends within the first week and who have nothing but great moments for the rest of their college career- that is wonderful, yet it is far and few in between.
There is often a misconception between going to college and skipping all of the hard shit in life; this will not happen. College is completely centered around new beginnings and experiences, whether you see them as they are or not. Within the general freshmen population, more often than not, someone experiences something fatal. 1 in 6 women on average will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. Of that statistic, women who are enrolled in college are three times more likely to be sexually assaulted than those who are not. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “This probably isn’t real because you never hear about rape occurrences on campus”. On average, “68% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police” (rainn.org/statistics). They feel as if it is their fault and that they somehow bring it upon themselves. They believe that even if they said ‘yes’ at first, that it makes the ‘no’ they provided time and time again nonexistent. They feel as if telling someone in authority would bring them shame and they would feel abused by the ones who are supposed to protect them. Females decide to keep quiet because if nothing comes from the police report and the rapist is not punished, they feel like they have just lost one more thing. Out of every 100 rapes, 32 get reported to the police and only 2 rapists will spend a single day in prison (rainn.org/statistics). The other 98 are let off, free of charge. The 98 victims that will never have an answer and that will never feel safe, are the ones who remain hurting.
Victims are ashamed and are terrified to call this what it truly is. We are living in a ‘he said, she said’ environment where men have the upper hand. We are living in a world where the tears and the emotional pain are not enough. We are living in a world where if you do not have undeniable proof then no one will ever believe that the “nice gentleman” who did this to you are in fact monsters. If we lived in a world where more people were comfortable openly talking about the word rape, then we would live in a world that can see how emotionally impactful the action behind it really is. Rape isn’t just having sex with someone against their will. It is taking something from their soul. It is making them feel like they are truly worthless. It is making them feel like the only way out is to self-inflict harm or take their own lives. Life is precious, no one should have something taken from them against their will.
Lady Gaga has started a revolution that is years past due. Her hit song “’Til It Happens To You” is focused around the feelings of a rape victim. Lady Gaga tells us that she was raped years ago and is just now telling her story through her music. Millions of people across the world have seen the remarkable revolution that has sparked and have joined the fight against solitary silence. She is helping victims fight the feelings of hatred towards themselves. In the music video, a victim wrote on her arm “I’m Worthless”. For that to be a reaction of the rape which she had no choice over is just awful. When we learn how to help rape victims and when we learn how to pursue just how wrong it is, then we can really stop the war. When we learn to show victims that they are beautiful and that they should not be ashamed, then will we be reaching towards victory. Even when the bad times come, keep fighting the good fight and appreciate the love that surrounds you.
