Today: Mar 29, 2024

More grasp for Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Sofia Rositani Arts & Entertainment Editor

Sexual Assault Awareness Month is April. This month is dedicated to protecting, understanding and providing a safe space for people who have suffered from sexual assault.

The university has been doing a lot to help with advocating against sexual assault with events like “Take Back the Night,” a tradition done all over the country on campuses like ours.

“On average, there are 433,648 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year in the United States,” according to Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN).

This is sickening to read as a woman because I should not have to fear going out every day alone, I should not have to fear being alone in public, and most importantly I should not have to fear being alone in my own home. While I know this will never change, months like this help us understand better how to stop a situation like this.

“As long as there have been people who care about making the world a better place, there have been individuals advocating for sexual assault prevention. In the United States, movements for social change and equality began to gain traction in the 1940s and 50s with the civil rights era,” according to National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). “Although open discussion of the realities of sexual assault and domestic violence were limited at these times, activists for equal rights began to challenge the status quo.”

On TikTok, the app everyone has been talking about since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, supposedly, there have been a group of men who are trying to make April 24 “National Rape Day,” something that is disgusting and scary to even think about. Due to these supposed TikToks (a video I have yet to find after looking through all the videos) many women, including myself, are afraid to go out by themselves or without a weapon. While these are all accusations and many people have yet to be able to find the TikTok, women are still scared to go out and a few users are even comparing it to the movie series “The Purge.” “Millions of social media users have viewed or shared reactions to the perceived threat on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. However, neither USA TODAY nor TikTok could find any evidence of the threat users were responding to,” according to USATODAY.

For women who are scared to go out by themselves, including myself, there are many ways to stay safe. Something women have been using for years, and something I just recently bought for protection due to living in a bad area, is pepper spray. You can buy this anywhere, including Walmart, for a cheap price. I have mine on my lanyard with my keys for easy access so if something happens, I have something to protect myself with.

“Pepper Spray is legal to purchase, ship, own and carry here in Connecticut,” according to I95 Rock. Take a class in self-defense, when you do not want to get a weapon to protect yourself, use your body. There are many places in Connecticut where you can take self-defense classes I would not be surprised if the university offered it also, this is something to help with keeping yourself safe and healthy.

The final way we can make sure to keep safe is according to Women & Family Centers, “Recognize that sexual violence will not end until men become part of the solution.”

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