The National Institute of Justice states that 85-90% of
sexual assault victims know their assailant. It does not imply that all of
those victims are in an intimate relationship with their partner, but a
relationship nonetheless. This makes the concept of sexual assault that much
harder to address – as a friend, you might see warning signs of abuse but not
want to make a confrontation out of it; as part of the relationship, you might
deny that the other person would ever do anything to hurt you.
As a society, we need to put emphasis on the value of
communication in relationships. A healthy relationship of any type requires
communication. A loving partner knows that the other partner’s feelings and
moods are subject to change and that is okay. Yes means yes; no, maybe, any
sort of hesitation, saying nothing… means no. “We’ve done it before” doesn’t
give infinite consent. Whether the assailant is someone’s partner of 10 years,
3 weeks, or not at all, they are not the exception to this rule. Consent is
important every time.
By supporting concepts like “yes means yes”, the
conversation about sexual assault becomes more and more preventative. It is
important to speak up for yourself and those around you, but mostly to continue
to remove the taboo from the conversation on sexual assault, and to treat your
body as your own and your partner’s body as his/her own, no exceptions.
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