A) Given that nearly one in every five women surveyed have been victims of some kind of sexual assault at some point in their life, there is an immediate need to formulate and implement measures to effectively reduce the incidence of sexual assault. A two-pronged approach is needed to reduce this statistic. Firstly, females from the ages of eight and above should be educated about the actions that constitute sexual assault at the educational institutions where they are enrolled in . This I believe is important, because most females who have suffered some form of sexual assault, particularly at young ages, are usually not even aware that the trauma they suffered was in fact an invasion of the most intimate nature. Instead of treating it as a taboo subject that should not be brought up for discussion, schools and colleges need to institute awareness programmes so girls from an early age are able to pick up on environmental and situational cues that indicate that they are about to become victims of sexual assault.
Once the majority of women have information on the red flags of sexual attacks, the next requirement is to have a comprehensive prevention plan in place. An integral part must be to develop policies that clearly state how and to what extent victims will receive help if they have been subjected to sexual invasion. In the case of high schools, colleges and universities, it is the institution’s responsibility to ensure that students, regardless of sexual orientation, are offered education in a ‘safe’ environment. Statistics show that on-campus assault have increased in the last few years, while some student counsellors are of the opinion that the statistics actually reflect an increase because more students now come forward to actually file an official report if they or a friend has been a victim . This trend alone is an important victory and has been made possible because institutions and organisations have implemented anti-sexual assault policies that ensure that victims who come forward fell secure and confident in the system to punish those held responsible, instead of the conventional thought process that it was somehow the victim’s fault that he/she was raped, harassed or assaulted.
Societal support structures that include neighbourhood councils can also play an important part in eliminating the perceived shame of the victims who do not seek out the medical or psychological help they need in order to recover from the trauma they experience. These support groups, comprising both victims and friends and family, will help victims discuss their story, get help, heal, and even seek out legal action against perpetrators.
B) Contrary to popular belief, rape is just one type of sexual assault, but since it is the kind that is the most in the news, the focus of most programmes is often on helping rape victims alone. I strongly believe that sexual assault constitutes attitudes as well as actions that result in the violation and invasion of privacy of another individual; this encompasses any incident in which a person feels a loss of control of his/her own body or is subjected to emotional and physical torture that leaves a scarring memory . From the assigned readings it also made it abundantly clear to me, that there is a prevalent societal bias that presupposes that anyone who has been assaulted (while women constitute the majority of victims, cases of male rapes and assaults have also surfaced recently), was somehow at fault. This is the often cited fact when discussing date rapes or assaults on women travelling alone, or returning from work late at night. The unfortunate perception that by going to dinner with someone, a girl hands over the license or gives an unspoken permission to be forcibly touched and violated is common. As the stories stated in the articles reveal, society and the media, at least in conservative societies, brands an assault victim a prostitute ‘who asked for it’; I disagree with the notion that agreeing to spend time with someone who asks you out, or simply by being out on the streets late at night implies that a woman’s moral compass is out of order and that the people responsible for this evil behaviour were just acting out their nature.
While I agree that there are certain risk factors that all women out there should take into account, such as taking lifts with unknown people, making your private information and photographs public on social media, or agreeing to meet people you do not personally know in unknown and secluded locations, it is society’s and yes the government’s responsibility as well to ensure a safe environment that discourages and prevents assaults through harsher punishments for assault criminals, while also creating a more sensitive and empathetic society that can understand and supports the turmoil that any sexual attack victims suffers .
Works Cited
Rabin, Roni Caryn. "Nearly 1 in 5 Women in U.S. Survey Say They Have Been Sexually Assaulted." New York Times 14 December 2011. Online.
Steinem, Gloria. "Can we end rape as tool of war?" CNN 8 February 2012. Online.
