Rape is not about sexual desire. It is about power, control, and asserting dominance. If someone does not agree or give any sort of consent, or if someone is pressured, coerced, or threatened into having sex, that is considered rape. The craving for power and dominance comes from within the rapist, proving that it is never the victim’s fault.
Here’s what to do if you or someone you know has been raped or sexually assaulted:
– Ask for mental help and guidance.
– Go to the police. File a report. Apply for a Restraining Order.
– Remind yourself or the victim that they are the victim and did nothing wrong.
Resources you can use to help with the process of overcoming rape:
– Call RAINN (Rape, Incest, and Abuse Network) at 1 (800) 656-4673.
– Call National Sexual Violence Resource Center at (877) 739-3895.
– Find your local crisis center.
Remember that no matter what you wear, what you say to provoke sexual interest, and no matter the force exerted on your rapist, it is NEVER your fault. Please do what I did not do and remember to get in touch with the authorities and ask for guidance through counseling or friends you confide in. Being able to survive it, doesn’t make what happened okay.
For a sexual assault victim, there are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds. Men are never entitled to a woman’s body or vice versa. Keeping sexual abuse a secret won’t make it stop and sweeping the subject under the rug will not make us safe. Rape is something we need to talk about, especially in these days and ages.
To my rapist, what you did to me still haunts me to this very day. I wake up in sweat from the nightmares that you provided me. But through never-ending support and love from the people who surround me, I can say with complete confidence…
Screw you.
