Sexual assault: What things have to change

Sexual assault: Just thinking about it makes the majority of us very uncomfortable, or very irate.

According to RAINN (the Rape Abuse & Incest National Network), in the U.S. every 98 seconds someone is sexually assaulted, and every 8 minutes a child is one of the victims.

That means on average, roughly 900 people, including close to 200 children, are abused, raped or in some way sexually molested every day in our country.

Other statistics show that nearly 25 percent of the population has or will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime – and those numbers are just mind-boggling.

Compounding this problem is the fact that many of the people who offend are likely to re-offend, with roughly 13 percent of incest perpetrators, 24 percent of rapists, and 35 percent of child molesters on average assaulting two or more times.
And these are only the incidents that are reported.

We know this is a big problem, one that is not likely to go away anytime soon. But what can we do as a society?
First, we need to realize this is a problem that we all need to address.  This is not just a problem for women and parents, this is a problem that faces a quarter of our population and regardless of whether you are aware of it or not, chances are you know someone who has been sexually assaulted at some point.

This is a problem that stems from an aggressive culture that has been ingrained in our society for centuries. Men have perpetuated a society of sexual dominance and entitlement, which lends itself to a world where men can easily rationalize predatory behavior because they feel they are entitled to sex on demand.

It’s repeated time and time again, but it’s no less true now than when it was first spoken: “No means no.” That will never change, but as an addition to that, we need to make sure that we as a society are watching out for those negative behaviors wherever we are, and get involved.

It’s often when you see a couple argue, or fight in public that people usually don’t want to get involved. Generally, the public thinks it’s the couple’s business and no one should be butting in. With abuse or assault problems, though, it’s a different matter.
We, the public, MUST BE BOLDER, STRONGER, and MORE AGGRESSIVE in watching out for our fellow humans and helping to keep everyone safe. Until we change our culture to one where assault is called out and actively stopped in public, we are going to continue to regularly have people get hurt.

There are several specific things you can do to make yourself a less likely target for a sexual predator. If you jog or run for exercise, try to vary your routine; run longer or shorter, take different routes and try to avoid being predictable.
At home, be careful when you open the door, always check who it is first and make sure it’s someone you know or are expecting, and always ask for and verify the ID of strangers wanting to gain access, such as repairmen, or officials.
When you’re out and about, if you are drinking alcohol around other people, especially people you don’t know, watch out so no one puts something in your drink, and never leave your drink unattended.

Finally, if you are unfortunately the victim or target of a sexual assault, go to the police or hospital. In this issue we have a great story on a new smartphone application that can help victims of sexual assault in knowing what to do and where to go.
There are tools for your disposal so, please, make sure that if you are ever unfortunately targeted, remember you are not at fault, and there is help and support available to you!

America is a great country, we have a lot of great culture and that is exported around the world.
We need to elevate that culture to include support for survivors of sexual assault, make sure there are no survivors who are burdened with culture-imposed stigma or feelings of shame for something that they didn’t want or had no control over… and most importantly, to prevent these assaults in the first place.

These people are our friends, family and neighbors and until we make sure that they are safe, we aren’t the country we should be.
We at the Advocate feel that it’s important to talk about sexual assault and let victims know that they’re not alone. There are people and resources available to help guide them through the situation.