A global urgency: end rape

Devin Owen
MSMU Class of 2026

(11/2023) With the changing of the seasons comes change in mindset and habits in our daily lives: we no longer are wearing shorts and tank tops outside. We aren’t at the beach in our swimsuits multiple days a week, but rather, we are at school or work and wrapping up in warm, cozy comfort clothes as the leaves change their colors and the air gets a little cooler with every hour that passes by. With the changes in mind, it leaves us to wonder what some other changes we could or would like to see—not just in our daily lives—but in the world itself.

I, for one, have a very long list of the changes in the world that I would like to see, but the one I’ll focus on is rape and sexual assault. Rape is, and has been, a very large and on-going issue in the world for a very long time. Worse than that though, is the stigma that follows it around: it’s not the rapist’s fault that they did it if the victim was wearing something provocative, or if they lead them on—the list goes on and on. This is a crime that knows no boundaries; an undeniably horrific violation of one’s physical and emotional integrity, and an affront to the principles of human dignity.

One of the most alarming aspects of this issue is the sheer prevalence of rape worldwide. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network Organization (RAINN), there is an average of about 463,634 victims of sexual violence in just America, and that ranges from ages 12 and up—meaning that it doesn’t include the thousands of younger children being preyed upon or attacked before they even can comprehend what ‘it’ is. It was also stated by the organization that 82 percent of the juvenile victims and 90 percent of the adult victims of rape are female. The World Health Organization estimates that about one in three women worldwide has experienced sexual violence from either a partner or non-partner at some point in their lifetime. As a woman, this information is horrifying and serves as an explanation for why we are as cautious as we are in public. However, it is not only women that suffer, but men are also victims of rape and that itself should be talked about more. RAINN notes that one out of every ten rape victims are male and that in America alone, 2.78 million men have been victims of attempted or completed rape. A sad truth of the crisis of rape in the world happens to be that there is severe underreporting of cases due to fear of stigma and retaliation: will I be blamed for this? Will anyone believe me? It’s my word over theirs, is that enough? What if they shame me…does it matter what I was wearing? These are all questions left for a survivor to ask—a result of the stigmas of rape.

Consent is a huge part of this crisis as well though, as it happens to lay the foundation for intercourse itself. Consider what it says in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; every individual has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. Rape is a very clear violation of said fundamental human right, and in order to violate that right, one has to forego the unsaid law of consent. Something as simple as asking "is this okay?" or "are you sure?" is considered to be consent. The impact of such blatant disregard for human rights also affects those around the victim as they are there with the victim for the aftermath—the emotional and psychological aftermath.

I’m going to get more personal here, which is hard because such a blatant disregard for human rights is hard to talk about. When I was in high school, I was sexually assaulted by a close friend of mine, someone I believed to care about me and my well-being. At first, I didn’t realize that it was actually assault because I willingly went to see a friend at their home, but in the end, I went home with less innocence than I started with. There comes a point though, when you are with someone that certain trust and kindness should be shown; being flipped around like a ragdoll to do what it is that that the second party here desires—while you beg for them to stop, while you call out "no" and "please, I can’t," repeatedly—is not something that exudes trust and kindness, and most certainly not consensual. This is a violation of privacy and human rights so inhumane that you are kept up with nightmares about it for years; a violation that prevents you from forming close relationships with other people, from allowing physical touch from men because you are so terrified that something—anything—might happen again. The cherry on top of this experience, is that this "friend" of mine has no idea that he ever did anything wrong, and at the end of this experience, he left me to leave with the message of: "well you’re a little less innocent now, you’re very welcome." To this day the thought of what happened that night creates a knot in my stomach that tightens into a coil; like a snake wrapped around its prey, squeezing the life out of me.

It's hard to realize that rape or assault isn’t something that is just done by strangers; it, in most cases, is carried out by someone we might know or even someone we could be close with. Try to imagine that: someone you’re incredibly close with choosing to violate your being in such a violent and horrific way, that you are left to pick up your broken pieces for years to come, by yourself.

It doesn’t matter what we wear, how we interacted with others that might lead to "misunderstandings," or if it’s a boy or a girl: no means NO. Frankly, it’s a phrase that I wish more people understood.

This is a change I want to see in the world…it’s a change that the world needs to see.