In light of the recent Me Too movement, I thought it would be a good time to educate ourselves on sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and the culture that allows it.
Did you know that one in five women have been the victim of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime?
Did you know that nearly one in two women have experienced sexual violence in a form other than rape in their lifetime?
Did you know that one in five men have experienced a form of sexual violence other than rape in their lifetime?
(All statistics come from Rape Response Services Home- Page on National Statistics)
Did you know that all people are negatively impacted by rape culture?
Before we can get more in depth of what is happening that allows these deplorable experiences, let's start with a simple definition of some terms that are frequently used to describe these acts.
According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, "Rape is forced sexual intercourse including both psychological coercion and physical force. Forced sexual intercourse means vaginal, anal, or oral penetration by the offender(s). This category also includes incidents where the penetration is from a foreign object, such as a bottle. Includes attempted rape, male and female victims, and both heterosexual and same sex rape. Attempted rape includes verbal threats of rape."
"Sexual assault is a wide range of victimizations, separate from rape or attempted rape. These crimes include attacks or attempted attacks generally involving unwanted sexual contact between victim and offender. Sexual assaults may or may not involve force and include such things as grabbing or fondling. Sexual assault also includes verbal threats."
According to the EEOC, "Sexual harassment is unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature."
According to Southern Connecticut State University, "Rape Culture is an environment in which rape is prevalent and in which sexual violence is normalized and excused in the media and popular culture. Rape culture is perpetuated through the use of misogynistic language, the objectification of women’s bodies, and the glamorization of sexual violence, thereby creating a society that disregards women’s rights and safety."
Now that we have a brief knowledge of some basic terms related to sexual violence, let's go a little further into what rape culture means. In our world today, unfortunately, rape culture is promoted through media, education, and our daily lives. Let's look at some examples of rape culture.
Rape culture is slut shaming. Slut shaming is a very present sexual double standard, boys will be boys but girls are sluts. Slut shaming is the negative connotation that is designated to sexually active females, whereas men are congratulated for the exact same behavior. Once a female has been deemed slutty, she is an increased target for sexual violence.
Rape culture is victim blaming. Victim blaming is using any sort of "logic" to divert blame from the offender and towards the victim in a sexual violence situation. This can be anything from scrutinizing the victim's clothing, mental state, history, motives, or incapacity to make decisions (being drunk, high, etc.). Victim blaming is saying things similar to, "she asked for it..."
Rape culture is anything that takes away from a victim's experiences. Along with the recent Me Too movement, there has been some backlash over "but does this count as sexual violence?" ANY situation at all that is sexual harassment is sexual violence, and ALL types of violence and harassment are valid. Saying things like "it could have been worse" takes away from eliminating sexual violence and instead, actually, makes it okay for certain types of sexual violence or harassment. Often, men receive this sort of repercussion if they choose to talk about their rape. Men are often told, "You can't be raped if you're a guy, guys always want sex." This sort of "logic" takes away from the fact that men are also victims.
Rape culture is sexualizing bodies. Recently, a friend talked to me about how she has received MANY unwanted sexual advances due to the fact that she runs in a sports bra and shorts. Her running attire does not make it acceptable to initiate sexual advances, just as any type of clothing worn does not make it okay to sexually harass someone.
Rape culture is cat-calling. While both males and females may think that they are simply giving a compliment, often, people don't want to be complimented on how good their body looks in a sexual fashion. This may be shocking, but many people would rather be complimented on their brain, their attitude, their personality. Cat-calling is not at all complimentary.
Rape culture is songs that promote sexual violence. While the tune of Blurred Lines can be catchy, the lyrics and meaning behind it are horrendous. Perhaps a closer look at the lyrics, "And that's why I'm gonna take you. Good girl!I know you want it", can really show how the song promotes rape.
Rape culture is the infamous Brock Turner case. Although countless evidence points to Brock Turner being guilty for rape, and he was even found guilty, he was only required to serve three of his six month sentence (which actually should've been even longer!). Sexual violence of all types can be incredibly hard to prove in a courtroom, which further allows it to occur in society.
Rape culture is the sexual education young people receive. It's teaching to not get raped instead of teaching don't rape.
In order to combat rape culture, we need people to become active bystanders. There are many simple ways that we can do this.
One way to combat rape culture is to provide a supportive environment. We can do this by advocating for victims. IT IS NEVER THE VICTIM'S FAULT.
Another way to combat rape culture is to validate victims. All unwanted sexual experiences are just that, UNWANTED. By this rule, there is no need to say "it could have been worse". All experiences are valid.
Another way to combat rape culture is to empower all people. Define your own manhood or womanhood, do not let stereotypes define your actions.
The biggest way to combat rape culture is in our education. Rather than teaching to avoid rape, we should simply teach to NOT RAPE. Rape is a terrible, horrendous act that inflicts so much damage to victims. Rape, and all types of sexual violence or harassment, need to be eliminated by our society.
All in all, rape culture is an abominable circumstance that many, many people are impacted by and we need to actively work to destroy this culture and empower our people. This will be a constant battle to make the world a better place, person by person, and I hope that you choose to actively try to help.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." (Margaret Mead).
Online sources for Statistics:
http://www.southernct.edu/sexual-misconduct/facts....
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/pdf/whatissh.pd...
http://www.rrsonline.org/?page_id=944
https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=tp&tid=317
