In October 2015, African American women came together to form the Enough SAID African American 490 (AA490) Challenge to raise awareness and funds to use the unprocessed rape evidence found in a Detroit Police storage area.
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, an appropriate time to discuss sexual assault and a culture that has much work to do in alleviating this societal ill.
So what do we know about sexual assault and the victims of rape? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sexual assault is an extremely serious health problem that affects millions of women and men. One in five women and one in 71 men has experienced some form of sexual assault and most of these have experienced sexual violence before turning 25. Sexual assault spans age, socioeconomic backgrounds, sexual orientation, gender, and religion.
Sexual assault occurs when consent is not freely given, including acts against the victim’s will or when a victim is unable to consent (under the influence of drugs, alcohol or other capacity diminishers).
Victims of sexual assault experience many short- and long- term effects, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Victims may find unhealthy ways to cope with the overwhelming effects, including substance abuse.
Contrary to a culture that minimizes consent, “no” means “no”; “I don’t know” means “no”; “I changed my mind” means “no.” Rape is one of the few crimes where we blame the victim and not the offender. By making statements such as “why did she have that on?” or “why did she go over there at that time in the morning?” or “she must have led him on,” we blame the victim and let the offender off the hook. Unfortunately, we live in a society where women are well aware that they are at risk to be raped. We are told to take necessary precautions.
But why should we bear the responsibility for rape prevention? The plain truth is, if we want rape to stop in our society, it has to begin with men. ALL men, including the majority, who do not rape.
Imagine suffering such offensive queries, subjecting yourself to having a rape kit done, filing charges and doing everything else you can to obtain justice, only to have your rape kit lost in a storage area. We have to hear victims. We have to support victims. We have to believe victims. We have to change the conversation. In doing these things we can help victims become survivors.
This month, join with AA490 as we speak for the victims and change the conversation about the culture of sexual assault. Visit the Enough SAID African American 490 Challenge website at https://www.aa490challenge.org to donate, host a house party, or volunteer.
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