Last month, more than one “Your Right to Know” sexual assault email report was sent to students at TAMUK. One is one too many, nevermind two, at a campus that some students call home. The subject of sexual harassment and assault continues to be a prominent issue amongst college students at our university.
Reporting an assault is not easy. Coming forward to claim the reality lived is a big step in helping raise awareness for sexual assault and we applaud all women and men who are brave enough to do so. The task is daunting, but possible.
Telling a woman her skirt is too short and blaming her for it is unacceptable. Society needs to stop telling women and men what they can and cannot wear. Individuals should have full autonomy over themselves and have the right to freedom of expression. The way someone dresses is not an open invitation for anything else. Society needs to stop pushing people to change their ways and start pushing others to change their behavior.
Consent is a must. If you do not have permission, do not touch someone because that is considered assault. If there is not a said yes, it is a no. However, just because someone says yes once does not mean that it should be assumed it will always be a yes. According to Rainn, the largest anti-sexual assault organization in the U.S. , “among undergraduate students, 26.4 percent of females and 6.8 percent of males experience rape or sexual assault through physical force, violence, or incapacitation.”
Assault is not and will never be the victim’s fault. If you blame the victim for what occurred, you are only contributing to the problem.
A university email issued after the fact is not going to help prevent sexual assault on campus and in the dorms. That is not enough. This month, we urge all students, university leaders and organizations to be active in events and participate in raising awareness against sexual assault.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or assault, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1(800) 656-4673 or contact The Purple Door Kingsville Office at (361) 881-8888. You are not alone.
