These words are posted online, which means, according to internetlivestats.com, 3,046,750,291 people can access them. That’s alarming, but I feel safe sharing them behind my computer, in my room. It would be a completely different story in person. I feel uncomfortable talking to a small group of people about sexual assault. I’d never be able to articulate my ideas and experiences in front of nearly three billion people. I know in regard to sexual assault, solidarity in numbers matters, but sometimes more solace can be found in one-on-one interaction. Take Back the Night and large scale university rallies are effective in spreading awareness about the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses. They often serve as the spark that ignites a victim’s road to healing and empowerment and they also alert victims to a very important fact: they are not alone. However, I’ve found that some people first need to heal from sexual violence alone. I think campus administration and organizations should take this into account.
Sexual violence is the most personally damaging and violating experience. For me, it’s hard to chant about in a plaza full of people, even if they all have had similar experiences. Take the nomore.org “Speechless” campaign, for example (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9ZvxYcPJk8). This campaign showcases celebrities struggling to formulate words about their experiences with sexual assault. I love this campaign because it reveals a different side of the sexual violence issue, a side that is not as sexy. We’re used to seeing campaigns that are active—taking back the night is an empowering deed—but we have yet to see one about how each individual copes with his or her sexually violent experience after the rally, when the nuances of the experience echo in their heads at night.
I’d like to see a similar campaign on college campuses that lets victims know that it’s okay to not know what to say and directs them to a one-on-one counselor for help with the healing process, even if the road to healing commences with simply crying in a room. This campaign could come in the form of slips of paper scattered around campus, posters in bathrooms or links to campus counseling on university websites. It’s not a “rah! rah!” rally but instead an opportunity to try to find some way to release and cope with traumatizing sexual experiences. It forms the base of the healing process. I think that it is awesome when victims feel confident in their own coping and communicating abilities before reaching out to provide others with support.
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