Sisterly Love by Courtney

Sisterly Love

Being a member of a sorority, I would like to think that I know my loyal sisters inside and out, however, when it comes to sexual assault, this is far from the case.  I find it extremely heartbreaking that I have spent hours upon hours sharing stories with the women I call my best friends, yet speaking about sexual assault is not commonly dinner-table conversation, to say the least. 

So when can this conversation take place?  When can these women have a chance to share their stories without feeling alienated or as if they are finally coming clean about something they feel they have kept from their sisters?  I understand speaking about one’s experience with sexual assault is not by any means a quick and easy process, so I wanted to give my sisters an opportunity to speak up in a private manner.

In order to do so, I sent out a survey to my entire sorority, in hopes that my sisters would feel comfortable sharing their personal views and stories in a completely anonymous manner.  Out of 10 questions, there was one in particular that really boggled my mind.  When asked the question “have you or someone you know ever been a victim of sexual assault?” 80% of my sisters, my best friends, responded “yes.”  I have heard time and time again, 1 out of 5 college women have been victimized by sexual assault, but this statistic sparked a personal realization when I acknowledged that there are women that live under the same roof as my own that have survived a sexual assault.  These are the women I sit next to at every meal, and who knows if they have ever shared their painful experience or if they are aware of the confidential resources available to them?

Survivors of sexual assault feel that their freedom of choice and ability to use their voice has been violently taken from them.  While I felt helpful in giving my sisters a voice through a survey, I feel that that is not nearly enough.  Within the Greek community at Indiana University, there is a program called “Safe Sisters,” which consists of a few women from each sorority that are supposed to emotionally support, provide resources and give a voice to their sisters following a sexual assault.  However, an alarming 70% of my sisters were not aware that these resources even exist within our chapter.   How will my sisters ever speak up about their experience if they are not even aware that they are living down the hall from a sister who is more than willing to listen and to be a shoulder to cry on?

This lack of awareness really got me thinking.  Crucial and proactive sexual assault prevention programs, such as Safe Sisters, and any other programs around campus need to be known!  Whether they are publicized through fliers around campus or spreading the word to other Greek organizations, awareness is a necessary factor in giving sexual assault survivors their voice back.