Reclaim Your Voice (Every 2 Minutes)

Thu, 02/20/2014 - 16:09 -- Riah12

Every 2 minutes a person becomes a victim of sexual assault.

Every 2 minutes someone is told their voice doesn't matter, when he pulled up his pants, and said 'You won't say anything, right?!" shoved your voice box into his pocket and disappeared into the night.

Leaving you to piece together the now shattered remnants of your life.

Trying to use hoodies and sweatpants to cover to the internal wounds that you think everyone can see.

Every 2 minutes a perpetrator decides that he has the right to disregard a person and treat them like body parts

available for free entry like rides at amusement parks.

People to try to defend and rationalize, but you can't justify the defeated look in her eyes.

Saying she was dressed this way or acting like that, like a short skirt or dancing at a party is an open invitation to sexual violation.
Excuses like, she was just playing hard to get, but if she didn't say yes
then there was no consent.

Our society isn't sympathetic to issues like this,
Like it can't be rape if you two went on a date, but the people who commit these crimes is a friend or acquaintance 38% percent of the time.
As a society we blame victims for “asking for it" and let the rapist off the hook saying, “boys will be boys" or just acting like it never happened.
But silence is just as violent as violence itself!

When we look the other way we are just as guilty because our silence hurts just as much.  We teach girls how not to get raped but don't teach boys not to rape. We don’t want to ruin a young man’s life with such a claim while forgetting that a young woman’s life is already forever changed.                                         

If we are going to solve this problem we must remember that each person is a… person and not just a means to fulfill your needs then be disposed of. Sexual Assault is not an isolated event; it is an emotional, physical, and psychological trauma that leaves scars for a lifetime.

So if you have been a victim of sexual assault, do not keep this secret, reclaim your voice, and speak out because every 2 minutes a person is a victim of sexual assault and you are not alone.

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