Sexual Assault Awareness Month

I just recently found out that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and it is only appropriate that I include facts about this heinous crime that continues to plague women, and men, regardless of economic status, race, ethnicity, or creed. The information below has been obtained from Colorado Coalition against Sexual Assault (CCSA) and Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN). 

• 85% of incarcerated sex offenders knew the person they assaulted

• 90% of college and university sexual assault victims knew their attacker

• 1 out of 6 American women and 1 out of 33 American men have been a victim of an attempted or completed sexual assault

• 15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under the age of 12

• Over 50% of transgender individuals are survivors of sexual violence

• Alcohol is the number 1 drug used in a sexual assault

• 54% of sexual assaults are not reported to the police

As far as I am concerned, every day should be sexual assault awareness day, human trafficking awareness day, domestic violence awareness day, and any-other-horrible-issue awareness day. These issues should not simply be subjects to be discussed and become enraged about only when they come to or are forced on our attention; rather, they should trigger the impulse to understand the topic and its underlying causes and work hard to educate communities that unless there is a societal shift, the problems will be hard to eradicate. 

-          Krasi

Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Of all the alarming statistics in the United States, perhaps the most alarming (in my opinion) is that every 2 minutes in the U.S., someone is sexually assaulted. EVERY 2 MINUTES. This number includes all ages and sexes.

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The biggest power that a perpetrator holds over his/her victim is fear; fear of embarrassment, social censure, or even retaliation. This fear is permeated throughout our culture as we don't want to talk about the huge elephant in the room even if it is to simply state that you wouldn't do anything like ostracize someone who has been assaulted. It's not their fault and they should know that, right? Wrong.

Having worked with survivors of sexual assault, I can attest to the fact that the insanely simple act of letting people know that it's OK to talk about it, to be angry about it, to report it and not be ashamed....it's not their fault! Just letting them know that you'll listen is so simple yet so.effective.

So I urge every one of you to let the people in your life know that should (God forbid) anything ever happen, you are there. You will listen and help; there is no judgment here.

Take it a step further and form a group to learn self defense.

We live in a nation where we can speak freely about this issue. Let's exercise that right fully.


Resources:

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network

Rape Aggression Defense (RAD)


- A