Sexual assault: It hurts when it’s treated so lightly
You’ve probably seen the hundreds of posters, been handed buttons and been asked — several times — to sign your name on someone’s iPad, stating you pledge to intervene and stop sexual assault.
Before I go any further, I want to make something very clear: I applaud any effort to try and stop this heinous crime from happening to more people. I appreciate any effort to make a difference and I’m proud of my university for doing something about it.
But we haven’t gotten to the real issue.
The “Consent is” and “I will” campaigns, as they are, mock the anxiety, pain, fear, depression and thousands of other emotions that come with experiencing something as terrifying as rape or sexual rape. As a survivor of rape, I can personally attest that having your freedom, security and choice is something you never, ever move on from. Sure, some days are easier than others, but you never forget. It’s always in the back of your mind — tucked away until your brain feels it’s the right time to bring it back out. Whether that’s in the form of a panic attack, depressive episode or flashback — you can always count on remembering the worst experience of your life. Signing a pledge or seeing a poster, especially on being held by your personal attacker, brings up feelings of delegitimization and loneliness — not comfort and closure.
As a journalist who has had the privilege of telling other women’s sexual assault stories, I have heard, time and time again, that USU’s recent efforts are mocking the issue, and I can’t say I disagree.
For starters, I think it’s a bit ironic that the posters and the social media campaigns came right after a certain former USU football player with several rape accusations and no apparent discipline was publicized in Utah’s biggest newspaper. Within hours, USU was under attack from every media source in Utah and I can’t blame them for stepping up their efforts to publicize the fact that they are trying to solve the problem. I also recognize that USU received a sexual assault-related grant several months before the allegations were publicized, and they have put on events such as SAAVI’s “Walk a mile in her shoes,” the Utah State University Student Association’s “Heroes Not Victims” and other efforts. However, the posters and campaigns seemed to pop up at an interesting time.
But most importantly, the posters and campaigns don’t recognize the problem for what it is. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one in five women will be raped and report 83 percent of them report symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Being almost viciously approached by a group of males and asked, almost forcefully, to sign a pledge, almost parallels the issue many women go through. Another example of being pressured or pushed to do something, even if it has very well-meaning intentions.
In my two years at USU, two of the most powerful events I experienced were the SAAVI’s “Walk a mile in her shoes” and USUSA’s “Heroes not victims.” Both of events meant so much to me because they legitimized the issue. They pointed out rape statistics, discussed the coping techniques, shared stories of other survivors, encouraged a “light at the end of the tunnel” concept and promoted resources for students who have experienced sexual assault.
While some of USU’s efforts need work, some have done well and should serve as precedents.
We recently declared a mental health crisis at USU, which I think is the best possible way to handle sensitive issues — by talking about them. Mental health was a taboo topic two years ago, and now we’ve declared it as a crisis, passed a bill in the legislative session over it and passed a student fee which will help struggling students get the resources they need.
Similar to mental health, sexual assault is a very taboo topic. But the fact is, it happens everywhere and USU is not immune. Legitimizing the problem and promoting resources for survivors can be so much more effective than flashy posters and social media campaigns, which don’t treat the issue with the level of seriousness and sensitivity it deserves.
I appreciate the intentions behind the campaigns and I applaud this university for making an effort, but until we treat sexual assault like a real crisis, nothing will change.
— Alison Berg is a sophomore studying journalism and communication. She is an active advocate for rape victims and hopes to work for the Washington Post someday.