Recently, I've been doing a lot of looking into crime statistics on rape. I read that 9 out of 10 rapists will never be punished for their crime. This abominable statistic lead me to ask the question "why?" As it turns out, most rapes go unreported. Women are ashamed to admit that men have taken advantage of them sexually. They are afraid that nobody will believe them, or worse, they will be blamed for what happened. So I thought to myself, what would I do if I was in their position? I would feel dirty. I would feel used. Honestly, I would probably keep it to myself.
Now why would an intelligent woman who believes in the justice system choose not to report such a heinous crime? I came to the conclusion that it has to do with the taboo that society places on sex. If I wore raped, I would be seen as the girl who lost her virginity to someone dirty. People would look at me and they'd see a victim- not a survivor. I don't want to be pitied. I don't want to be called slutty. I don't want the stain of sex on me just to go through a legal process that would most likely not result in a conviction.
Why is sex in society such a taboo? Why is it that I can't say that three letter word in front of adults without being judged? I've been thinking about this for a while now. It was addressed in some Oprah episode a while back. If sex was not a taboo then that would resolve so many problems. Teenagers would be able to actively talk to their parents about safe sex. Teenagers would feel less pressure to partake in it simply because there would be less curiosity. Show me someone who went into his or her first sexual encounter without wondering what the big deal was and I'll show you a pig that can fly.
If sex in society wasn't such a taboo then maybe Andrea and other women would be more open with reporting rapes and getting help.
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