Written by Michelle Arnetta
Designed by Josherlyn Angelica
You see a person. Their clothes are too revealing. If they get raped, they were asking for it.
You see a person. They force their feelings on people who have rejected them time and timeagain. If they invade their privacy, it's romantic.
We've subconsciously been taught to believe these things without question. It's therefore becoming increasingly obvious that rape culture runs rampant in our everyday lives. At the same time, sexual assault treated as some sort of taboo, especially in Asian cultures. The paradox is this: that the very same culture that silences rape perpetuates it. That's why we must take it upon ourselves to educate ourselves about sexual assault, to remove the rose-tinted glasses that distort how vile it truly is.
Sexual assault can be defined as any sexual act performed without consent. This includes child sexual abuse, domestic violence, elderly sexual assault, groping, rape, sexual harrassment, and mass sexual assault. These activities harm its victims psychologically, emotionally, or even physically, and often lead to long-term trauma.
Unfortunately, people love to blur the lines between consent and the lack thereof. For instance, some claim that sexual assault is "consensual" when the victim does not directly say no, even when they are clearly uncomfortable or not within their ability to consent. Others believe that people who wear revealing clothes are asking to be sexually assaulted, or that men cannot be raped. However, the truth remains crystal clear: this is not consent.
So despite the efforts to brush off actual rape as romantic flings or innocent courtship, or that consent is debatable, or any attempt to minimize the true weight of sexual assault, we must recognize that no excuse can erase a sexual assault victim's trauma.
Rape is rape. Say no to sexual assault.