Knowledge Increases Sorrow

A very real, and very common, problem in America is rape—more so the lack of knowledge about rape. This causes many problems for victims of sexual assault. In Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, the story of Melinda directly reflects the world today because most kids are not properly educated about rape and many teens in Melinda’s position can’t find a voice to tell their story.

It is clear by just a few examples that rape has more misconceptions than it should. If people would be more open to discussing this touchy topic, more could be done to prevent

The invention of the light bulb was invented with some knowledge. The No Child Left Behind act was emplaced with some knowledge. Knowledge lays down a path for greatness and opens the doors for opportunities. Knowledge allow ordinary people to change the world, and who doesn’t want to change the world? The opened doors that knowledge will open, increases happiness and prosperity; challenging that wisdom and knowledge increases grief and sorrow. Since i’m using my knowledge to write this essay how could knowledge possibly lead to grief?

Rape has been an issue for many centuries. We have laws to prevent and reduce rape, but laws are not perfect. There are always people out there that cannot follow the laws. If a criminal is caught, the will be brought to justice; however not all the criminals or offenders that break those laws are punished. An uncommon rape that is rarely addressed is correction officers raping female inmates.

(US Department of Justice- Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2014). While the numbers are startling, what is most alarming, is that it took eighty years for the government to change a definition that was wrong from the beginning. Moreover, this attitude of ignorance and apathy towards rape victims has trickled down and can be seen in the attitudes of the American population. While many feminists have suggested that rape is a tool used by a patriarchal society to maintain a status quo, and rape myths are tools used to justify this violence against women, what I believe is that rape myths are more pervasive than this explanation. Rape myths and their acceptance is in fact a part of the status quo, determined by the gender role construct reflected in current American society, Without a radical change in views towards gender roles rape myths will continue to be widely accepted, and victims will

problems arise from this. Women have been raised to expect sexual harassment and assault when

In 2010, a fourteen year old girl was raped multiple times over a nine month period by her forty-nine year old teacher. After taking the case to court, the victim was promptly labeled as much as a provoker of her rape as her teacher was. The girl´s rapist was sentenced to only thirty days in jail and her dead body was discovered in her room nearly three years later after she committed suicide. An estimate of one in six US women have experienced rape in some way, shape or form (3). People, predominantly women, spend their lives in fear. Refusing to walk home alone at night, being cautious about entering elevators with others and even being too scared to say no when asked on a date by someone are all impacts by this epidemic. Even worse, when

It is six o’clock in the evening, a special news segment on world affairs is on the television. The journalist is doing a piece on inhumane practices that occur in third world countries, one of these travesties being rape. The voices of women who have been stolen from their homes and have been taken advantage of against their own will infiltrate the air. These personal stories have an incredulously powerful impact on those listening and make one think “How could such an outrageous thing happen?” Truth be told, these horrors are not just happening in far-off places, but they are happening right now in the United States of America. The very simple fact that one is oblivious to the magnitude of sexual violence in their very own country is an

Every two minutes, somewhere in the world, someone is sexually assaulted. Of these approximately 248,000 victims, about 87,000 were victims of completed rape, and 70,000 were victims of sexual assault. Up to 4,315 pregnancies may have resulted from these attacks. Calculations based on the (National Crime Victimization Survey). Rape is often misunderstood. For one reason rapist are usually portrayed as a stranger, his motivation is entirely sexual, and the victim is always a young and sexy female. The truth is not all rapes are the same. The victim doesn’t have to be a young beautiful Female, older woman, men and kids get raped to. The victims, rapists, and motivation can be very different depending on the one committing

Rape can be pervasive and a serious social problem, Sexual Violence can be used in different situations and places like at a party, after hours work or school, or even in your own home. Some people could be raped by drugs or alcohol or just by force. Even though girls and boys get rapped but mainly girls get raped more than guys because guys could get rapped in prison but girls can get rapped anywhere. In the case of law sexual violence are serious social and public health issues in the United States. Women are far less likely to report a rape or assault when they know their assailant, thus instance of sexual assaults are greatly under reported. Victims of sexual assault may not be able to give consent due to age, illness, or impairment or

To begin with, the topic of rape and sexual assault is constantly silenced by society and joked about. For the most part, rapists and sexual offenders are never served justice, and often are not reported. 68% of sexual assault cases have gone unreported and 98% of rapists will never spend a single day in jail (U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Bureau of Justice.) Only 2% of these criminals receive jail time. Only 2% of the criminals get what one deserves for ruining another’s life. Most victims are three times more likely to suffer from depression and six times more likely to develop post traumatic stress disorder; victims are twenty six times more likely to abuse drugs than the average person ( World Health Organization.) It is a common belief

Although it is important to be prepared in the case of sexual harassment, this method of teaching coincides with victim-blaming. The idea places the burden of sexual assault on the victim rather than potential perpetrators. In reality, teaching people about rape culture and how to avoid partaking in it places the burden of sexual assault on those who commit the act which more effectively helps eliminate the stigma around the issue. An article called, Rape and Sexual Assault, concisely paints a picture of the issue by explaining, “Sexual assault has nothing to do with how attractive a girl or guy is. It has nothing to do with desire or passion. Rape and sexual assault come from a need for power and control. In rape, sex is a weapon. It is used to overpower, humiliate, and inflict pain on another person,” (Rape and Sexual Assault). The author of this article asserts that the victim of sexual assault is never at fault, and details specific examples of rape culture to help the audience better understand the topic. In another article, Society's Response to Survivors, the author, Sarah Ullman explains the concept and effects of rape culture. She contends that victim blaming often leads to unstable mental and physical health for the victim. She mentions that many times when victims attempt to tell their

“To every survivor of sexual assault… You have the right to be heard. You have the right to be believed. We’re with you.” – Hillary Clinton. Every 98 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. The younger someone is they are at the highest risk of sexual assault. They majority of victims are under 30. Women aren’t the only ones who are victims of sexual assault. Males who are in their early 20s and in college are 5 times more likely than non-college students of the same age to be a victim. “2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of rape” (RAINN 2016). “Some women take it seriously when they’re not taken seriously.” – John Chancellor. Some things to think about is what is consent, campus sexual assaults, types of sexual assaults, and prevention of sexual assaults.

Rape has been an ongoing issue within society for centuries. In early times, men raped women for reproductive purposes. Today, it is still believed

Sexual harassment and assault is a major problem for women all over the world. It can happen to anyone at any time and place. Here are some statistics that everyone should be aware of. On average, there are 321,500 victims of rape and sexual assault every year in the United States. This means that almost every 98 seconds a person is sexually assaulted. People from the ages of 12-34 are at the highest risk of assault with a whopping 69%. Even though it’s not mentioned as much in the media or may not seem possible, 1 out of every 10 rape victims are male. 1 out of every 6 women in the U.S. will be or has been the victim of attempted or complete rape. While on the other hand, 1 in 33 men in the U.S. have experienced an attempted or completed rape.