Sexual Assault; When is the line crossed?

By Jacqueline Mejia

Sexual assault is an atrocious crime that can happen to anyone. The few
times the media shows that someone was sexually assaulted they talk about
where the victim was, if alcohol was involved and what the victim was
wearing. Society has learned
to make sense of rape
diminishing the fact that the
rape happened because
there was a rapist. Instead
of asking the victim what
exactly she was wearing,
people should ask the rapist
the reasoning behind his
actions beside the point that
he wanted to. I find it
amazing that there is games
that involve rape, such as
Nukpana Rape Game
(Funny Games, n.d.). In this
game you are allowed to
control what the rapist does
to the victim, you even get
to see the victim cry. What I find more interesting is that it is in a website
called funny-games.biz. What this shows is that now rape is becoming more
socially acceptable. The term rape culture is becoming more used because
that is exactly what it is; it is becoming frequent enough that it is now a
culture. In some cultures rape is encouraged, in others it is discouraged but
it is not talked about. No matter what culture you come from, what gender
you belong to or even how old you are, you run the risk of getting raped,
either at prison, school or even church. Growing up girls are frequently told
not to dress a certain way because it is too explicit, yet, they forget to tell
their sons they are not sharks who cant resist a drop of blood. It is pretty
heart breaking that a person is raped every 2 minutes in the United States
alone(RAINN, 2009). Only yes means yes, and just because a person is not
capable of saying no does not give permission of sexual actions to happen.
We have to take into consideration that the victims trauma does not end in
the act of the sexual assault, but it also leaves them scarred for life, they
suffer from mental, physical and emotional wounds that most of the times
are left open. According to the Rape Crisis (2014), some physical traces of
rape can be sleep disorders, eating disorders, sexually transmitted diseases,
and even pregnancy. Some behavioral traces are substance abuse, not
wanting to socialize, and even suicide attempts. Some psychological traces
are depression, loss of memory, anxiety and lowering of self esteem.


References
Funny Games. (n.d.). Nukpana Rape Game. Retrieved May 8, 2014, from
http://www.funny-games.biz/nukpana-rape-game.html
How often does sexual assault occur? | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National
Network. (n.d.). How often does sexual assault occur? | RAINN | Rape,
Abuse and Incest National Network. Retrieved May 7, 2014, from
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/frequency-of-sexual-assault
Rape Trauma Syndrome. (n.d.). Giving Support. Aiding Recovery. Seeking Justice..
Retrieved May 5, 2014, from http://rapecrisis.org.za/information-for-
survivors/rape-trauma-syndrome/