By Ashley Wilson
In Colorado, the lifetime prevalence of sexual violence by any perpetrator for women is 23.8 percent, which is higher than the national prevalence of 18.3 percent…
— Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
How do we end sexual violence in Pagosa? Over this past month, April 2021, Rise Above Violence has shared information, myths, and action steps all with the purpose of bringing our community together to support survivors and examine how we can end sexual violence in our own community. We need to continue to have the conversation every month of the year, not just during Sexual Assault Awareness month. Here is an overview of what we shared this month both in print and social media.
Step one is awareness; the activities and education Rise provides to the community start with this idea. Awareness and education shared in our community bring us all up to speed so that we can tackle the issue together as a community. Sexual violence is a hard topic, but we must talk about it for our community to come together. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (nsvrc.org) Nearly 1 in 5 women and 1 in 71 men have been raped at some time in there lives.
The second step is local action, which includes sharing the information you know, coming out to events to show a physical solidarity with victims, stepping up in our social circles to call out inappropriate jokes and language, as well as being the voice of victims to our local and state legislators, choosing your media intake , having zero tolerance and believing survivors. Stop victim blaming statements like “What were you wearing?” place blame on the victim instead of the person who choose to rape. Get involved. We can make a difference.
Rise truly believes that awareness + action = social change. The solution is creating a community where violence is not tolerated, where we as individual community members hold each other accountable for things we say and actions we take. How we talk about sexual violence matters. One voice cannot change the dialogue, but all of our voices can. Most importantly we need to give a voice to those who are too afraid to speak.
As more and more victims have been brave enough to come forward with their stories in recent years, our society has been able to learn more about sexual assault and debunk many of the myths most of us were raised to believe. Below are some common misconceptions… alongside the facts.
MYTH: If she hadn’t gotten drunk she wouldn’t have been raped.
FACT: The natural result of getting drunk is a hangover, not a sexual assault. Would we say a homeowner deserved to be burglarized because he or she drank too much, fell asleep, and forgot to lock the front door?
MYTH: If you are wearing inappropriate or suggestive clothing, you are “asking for it”.
FACT: As with alcohol or drug consumption, this myth blames the victim for the perpetrator’s behavior. If a resident leaves her window open to cool down the home in summer, is she asking to be burglarized? To be raped? Not according to the Law (or common sense).
MYTH: Most sexual assaults are committed by strangers.
FACT: Most sexual assaults and rapes are committed by someone the victim knows. Among victims aged 18 to 29, two-thirds had a prior relationship with the offender. Among victims under 18, the abuser is almost always a family member or person in a position of trust (babysitter, coach, scout leader, youth minister, etc.). SOURCE: www.law.georgetown.edu
MYTH: It isn’t sexual abuse if you are married. Whatever a husband does to his wife is OK.
FACT: It is illegal in Colorado and most other states to sexually abuse your spouse. A marriage does NOT authorize forced sexual relations anymore than a marriage entitles one spouse to murder the other. Citation: Title 18, Colorado Revised Statutes
MYTH: Only women can be victims of sexual assault
FACT: Approximately 25% of men report sexual victimization, which includes completed or attempted forced penetration and sexual coercion. Of those victims, 51% were under the age of 18 years old, and 26% were 10 years old and younger. SOURCE: CDC and NSVRC
All of the services provided through Rise are free to victims and survivors. One way to help in our local community is to donate. Your gift provides critical services for healing. The Push-Up challenge is wrapping up tomorrow and the teams and individuals participating have been working hard all month doing 25 push-ups a day and raising funds. Please consider supporting one of the challengers at www.riseaboveviolence.org/push-up-challenge
Rise Above Violence is a 501c3 non-profit that provides 24-hour support and advocacy services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault or other forms of violence, serving over 300 victims each year. Rise also works to eliminate violence through education for youth and our community. All programs and services are free and confidential, including emergency prevention education and empowerment programs. Visit www.riseaboveviolence.org for more information… or call 970-264-9075 to talk to an advocate today.
Ashley Wilson is Development Coordinator with Rise Above Violence.