Opinion Editorial about Kavanuagh’s hearings furthering the #MeToo Movement
In this past week, Christine Ford courageously came forward to testify about her sexual assault as a fifteen-year-old girl by Brett Kavanaugh. Many news sources question whether Christine’s sexual assault is real or not. We need to understand the it is not easy to come forward in front of a public body to speak about these experiences. Sexual assault is traumatizing; it takes years for a victim a recover from such an incident, and the person still faces flashbacks once in a while.
So you may ask, “Why do people not come forward when they have been assaulted?” First off, not everyone believes the victim. The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network released a report that shows 994 out of 1000 perpetrators walking free, where 6 out of 1,000 rapists are incarcerated. The police highly disregard these cases, carrying on rape culture. Society always have this excuse in response to an assault, where they say “Boys will be boys,” or “It was her fault,” “Get over it.” Not everyone knows how serious sexual assault can get, it changes the life of a person forever. We need to find a way to end rape culture and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. We need to implement consent courses in schools from K-12 where children at a young age know that it is unacceptable to fondle with someone else’s body parts or touch them without their consent. We need to teach them that it is not their fault for getting assaulted to end victim blaming.
With Christine Ford’s hearing this week, it inspired people who have been sexually assaulted to share their stories. People are sharing their stories to advocate and stand up for one another to protect each other and use their voices to make a change happen. As the #MeToo movement debuted in October 2017, it came back stronger this past week with stories heard around the nation. The National Sexual Assault Hotline received 3,000 calls on the day of the hearing, RAINN also had an increase in calls by 738 percent. CNN and Huffington Post are giving out information about organizations that help victims of rape and sexual assault.
Christine Ford inspired me to stand as an advocate for those who are silenced, she gave me courage to speak up and implement a change in my community to help others. Please remember that people will be responsible for their actions; it is not your fault. If someone has assaulted you please reach out to one of these organizations.
RAINN/National Sexual Assault Hotline : (800)-656–4673
National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1–800–799–7233 or 1–800–787–3224 (TTY)
