As I sat in an assembly for the One Love Foundation, which serves to teach young adults about healthy and unhealthy relationships, I thought to myself, if there was any assembly all high school students should pay attention to, it's this one. It's hard to put statistics to a face; one in three women experience a violent relationship in their lifetime. But as I look to my right and left, and see how relevant this topic is to me and my classmates, I realize that the odds are not in our favor. Yet, there is something equally as empowering that sentence. There are so many things we can do as friends, sisters, classmates, and even bystanders, to change the fate of that unfortunate statistic.
As I prepare for a future in a new city, with new people, I can only wish that the people around me understand the relevance of this topic, and the power of their voice.
It is easy to cower to this thought, and consider dating violence an invisible affliction. But that is where we are wrong. Is this epidemic more transparent than we may have initially considered? What is even easier than pondering this thought, however, is speaking up.
Questioning why your best friend always seems to be on edge after seeing her boyfriend? Speak up.
Wondering why your lab partner seems to have a new bruise each week? Speak up.
What you will soon realize is that your voice echoes far beyond your own, and that you can act as an outlet and a resource for those being manipulated by others. Especially on a college campus, it is our duty to inform ourselves of such situations, and to understand just how relevant this situation is in our lives.
As much as we like to buy into the facade of Instagram posts and Snapchat stories, we can all relate to the fact that we're more than the faces we see on social media. "Likes" are not indicative of healthy relationships, and can in fact serve as the perfect cover-up to the unhealthy ones.
The "One Love" Foundation calls to us to recognize the tell tale signs of unhealthy relationships (jealousy, manipulation, guilting, and isolation to name a few) and understand how we play an important role in preventing them.
Suspicion is a valid feeling. We all can think of situation where our sixth sense told us that something just wasn't right. And in situations where victims are powerless to their manipulators, your courage to go with your "gut feeling" could be a matter of life or death.
I encourage everyone to empower themselves through education, and visit One Love to learn how you can prevent unhealthy relationships from escalating; whether that be in your relationship, or in those of the people around you. The voices of these victims often go unheard. It is our job as friends, brothers, sisters, and people to be the force that rehabilitates the damaged and empowers those who once thought that silence was the only answer.
