Many people still believe that sexual violence is a woman’s issue. Further, many believe it’s an issue that affects other women. “It won’t happen to my wife, daughter, sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, or friend.” Yet, statistics tell us otherwise. 2 in 4 women will be confronted by an assailant in their lifetime. 1 will be fortunate enough to escape the assault, while the other will be sexually assaulted.
Many men also do not realize that males are victims of sexual assault, too. 10-20% of all males will be sexually abused in their lifetime.
As men, we can make our community safer. We play an important role in preventing rape in our society. Men need to:
Be Aware of Language – Words like ‘whore,’ ‘baby,’ ‘freak,’ and ‘bitch’ dehumanize women. Once we see women as inferior, it becomes easier to disrespect and disregard them and ignore their well-being.
Communicate – State your desires clearly. Listen to your partner. Ask when the situation is unclear. By talking honestly and openly about sex with your partner, you make sex safer and dramatically decrease the risk of rape.
Speak up – While you may never see a rape in progress, you will witness behaviors that degrade women and promote rape. The next time your friend tells a joke about rape; the next time you read an article in the newspaper that blames a rape victim for being assaulted, SAY SOMETHING.
Support Survivors of Rape – Learn to sensitively support rape survivors. By showing your support and belief, survivors will feel safer to seek medical, emotional, and legal help.
Contribute Time and Money – Rape crisis centers rely on volunteers and donations to maintain their services.
Talk with Women – If you take the time to listen, you will learn the impact of rape on women. Ask the women in your life about how the risk of being raped impacts their lives, how they would want to be treated if they were raped, and what they think men can do to help prevent sexual violence.
Talk with Men – Do your friends laugh when they hear of a boy or man who has been sexually assaulted? Do they treat male victims with cruelty? Talk with them about how this treatment re-victimizes these men and prevents future male victims from reporting the assault.
Work to End Other Oppressions – Rape feeds off of many forms of prejudice including racism, sexism, homophobia, and religious discrimination. By speaking out against any beliefs and behaviors, including rape, that promote one group of people as superior to another and deny other groups their rights, you support everyone’s equality.
Impacting Sexual Violence in our Community...
through crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy and prevention
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