This I Believe
by Hazel L I believe that as a young girl I was and still am told that if I dress a certain way I could be sexaully assualted or publicly shamed and it would be my fault. I believe that many women and girls have heard the same and still hear it every day. I believe that there are people who try to silence the voices of thousands begging for the right to live in a country where its easier to get a gun than an abortion. I believe there are many who believe that we shouldn't be allowed to have a voice. At the beginning of the year in health class the teacher asked us, “what might a girl do to keep from getting targeted for sexual assault?” We spent fifteen minutes coming up with all these ways you might dress differently or act differently so as not to catch the attention of a predator. Over and over she said “no and no,'' until we ran out of ideas and she answered, “being sexually assaulted is never the victim's fault, the way you dress is not an invitation.” A class full of Thirteen-Fourteen year olds was surprised by this. It wasn't that we disagreed, it was that we still live in a society that has taught us to think this way instinctively even now from a young age kids are taught to act and think this way. We live in a pretty progressive place tucked away in the berkshires, but even in a beautiful, mostly peaceful place like this, our family, our teachers, our loved ones still worry about us being harmed because of how we dress. The way that is told to us and to people all over the world from a young age is that we need to blame ourselves and each other for feeling comfortable enough in our own skin to wear something that would warrant an assault that we never asked for or advertised. Less than one percent of all rapes reported to the police in the U.S. will lead to a felony conviction, but still eighty-nine percent of rape victims suffer physcisal or emotional trauma. And still every seventy-three seconds an American citizen is sexually assaulted. One in every six women in America will experience sexual assault in their lifetime. There are people who say that “it's so much better than it used to be for women.'' This may be true but it's not that much better because these statistics were taken from 2018-2019. People try to use this argument that “it's so much better than it used to be” as a way to silence our protests. When we look back on the way women were treated even just seventy years ago most of us are disgusted and believe that is wrong, so how do you think the generations after us will look at what we have done and said seventy years from now. For someone to say, “it could be so much worse for you,” that is why we still need to march. That is why we need to speak up. That and these statistics. They cover it up with “it's better than it used to be” but we are still afraid to walk alone in the dark. The day when a woman, a man, a person of any gender, race, sexual orientation or religion can walk down the street proud of who they are and without fear is the day that our voices will stop needing to be heard. The day we will stop holding boards and flags and stomping our feet for the hope that we may be able to get any recognition at all. Everyone should be able to feel comfortable in their own bodies and be able to walk down the street without feeling the need to rely on someone else for protection or validation. In a society where we were taught subconsciously that it's our fault if we are catcalled, raped, or touched in a way that made us uncomfortable because of the length of our shorts. It's our fault we didn't see the red flags sooner. It is our fault that we “led them on '' by being friendly. It's our fault we weren't smart enough to see what would happen. I believe that everyone has a choice. You can be silent or stand strong and lift up those around you to fight for what everyone should know is right. You can teach the next generation to cultivate what will be because what is now, is not “good enough,” because even as a fourteen year old girl I can see if this is the best that we can do, then this is shameful. I believe everyone has a right to their body, to their mind, and to their hearts. I believe everyone should wear what they want to and not be afraid of being publicly shamed or assaulted. I believe that no matter what laws or constitutional rights may say people are still discriminated against for race, religion, sexual orientation, and gender. And I believe that I have a voice. This I believe. sources : https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/10/06/less-than-percent-rapes-lead-felony-convictions-least-percent-victims-face-emotional-physical-consequences/ https://www.rainn.org/statistics/victims-sexual-violence
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