Fighting sexual violence

We are now at the end of April, which is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), during which we had many of events here at PSU. Communities Against Rape and Abuse from Seattle came down to do a workshop on sexual assault. Student group Allies Against Rape Culture put on a Penis Registration Drive to raise awareness about consent. Jed Johnson from Northwest Family Services came to lecture on healthy relationships. And of course, we had Take Back The Night last Thursday.

SAAM is at an end for the year. Sexual violence is not.

It’s a strange thing to consider that most people have heard the grotesquely disturbing figures. One in six women will experience rape or attempted rape in their lifetime, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. But due to underreporting and the hoops of the legal system, it’s estimated that only 6 percent of rapists will ever spend a night in jail.

One in six women, that’s a figure of epidemic proportions. Out of 100 rapists, 94 are walking free. That marks a failure of our justice system on a massive scale.

Most people, of course, believe that sexual assault is deeply wrong, but the oft-quoted saying “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing,” is grimly applicable here. When we don’t realize the severity of sexual violence and don’t know how we can help fight it, the fact that we are “against it” counts for little.

And so the attacks continue, and the myths surrounding sexual violence persist. People fear “stranger danger,” the idea that rapists hide in bushes and dark alleyways, waiting to jump out at random. But in reality, non-strangers perpetrate almost three-fourths of sexual assaults, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Perpetrators are much more likely to be friends, acquaintances or intimates.

We are aghast when confronted with cover-up sexual abuse scandals involving priests or schoolteachers, because it shatters the stranger danger myth. Stranger danger is a little easier to wrap our minds around, allowing us to think of perpetrators as shadowy wraith-like figures or “bad guys.” The converse reality is a scarier thing to deal with.

But sexual violence, for all its rampant prevalence, can’t scare us. It’s too serious an issue for that. We have to be willing to understand why it happens, and how we can fight it and do so proactively. Also for men, it has to be understood that this is not just a “woman’s issue” and that everybody can be an ally against sexual violence.

The roots of sexual violence lie in sexism. Nine out of every 10 survivors of sexual violence are female, and virtually all perpetrators (99 percent) are male. Instances of sexual violence have a high correlation with sexist attitudes and power dynamics on the part of the perpetrator. Keeping these facts in mind, we must remember that peeling back the encrusted layers of patriarchy and male privilege is a job that can only be done by everyone (this is not to marginalize male survivors of sexual violence, who also exist in significant numbers. One in 33 men is likely to experience rape or attempted rape in his lifetime).

So what can we do, right? Well … what a big question.

The Oregon Attorney General’s Sexual Assault Task Force lists three strategies needed to help prevent sexual violence before it occurs. One: “Reduce the risk of susceptible populations.” Equip yourself with the knowledge to defend yourself against potential attackers and share that knowledge with those around you.

Two: “Develop environments where healthy relationships and healthy sexuality is the norm.” For our society’s major obsession with sex, there sure aren’t a lot of clear models or precedents for what healthy sexuality looks like. We can change that. We cannot only raise awareness about what healthy sexuality and relationships are, but also that no one deserves to be in an unhealthy situation.

We could even put programs in public schools to teach kids what it means to have a good relationship with someone. Call me crazy.

Three: “Create a climate where sexual violence is not tolerated.” The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control lists “having friends that are sexually aggressive” and “being exposed to social norms, or shared beliefs, that support sexual violence” as risk factors for becoming a perpetrator of sexual assault. We can create an environment actively opposed to sexual violence, and the sexism that condones it. We can choose to interrupt when we hear sexually oppressive words, even if “they’re just joking.” We can choose to speak up when we see sexual violence in the media. We can choose to educate ourselves to understand the images and words around us.

We can choose to not be silent.

Taking this sort of action is obviously not going to end sexual violence, but it’s a start. If we want to make inroads against our rape culture, we can begin by actively working against it, raising awareness and of course, demanding action from those in power.

So speak up. Learn. Educate. Take action. Groups on campus like the Women’s Resource Center and Allies Against Rape Culture are available to provide information on how to be a part of the solution. Let’s be part of the solution.

Here’s to a safer year, and a better future.

If you are a survivor of sexual violence, know there is help for you, and that you are not alone. Among other resources, you can call the Portland Women’s Crisis Line at (503) 235-5333 or the Portland Sexual Assault Resource Center at (503) 640-5311.