*Trigger Warning*

One of the most important things to be aware of is the number of womyn that experience sexual assault. Here in the U.S., 1 in 6 women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, and around 73 percent of victims know their attacker. Sadly, I know how true these statistics are. It is often the case that womyn are blamed for being attacked. Our male-dominated society has always focused on scrutinizing rape victims: what they were wearing, doing, if they have had sex before, always avoiding the real issue: CONSENT! The few womyn that do speak up have had their name dragged through the mud only to see their attacker get a slap on the wrist. Because so many womyn never see justice, I am glad to see the verdict of the Carlos Aguirre Jr. case.

With the closing of this tragic case, our community must look at rape culture, what it is, and really understand that this was not an isolated incident. In order to prevent a situation like this from happening again, we cannot continue to support the double standards for men and womyn, and most importantly, we must give womyn a space to talk openly. While the term “Patriarchy” may be foreign to most, the idea that womyn are sexual objects for the pleasure of men is ever present in our daily lives. These messages affect the way womyn and men relate to each other. Girls learn early on what their “place” is, and never talk about sexual violence because they will be accused of lying, of deserving it, of being whores. In order to change this, we must be able to have honest conversations about sex and violence.

We must also begin to understand the importance of dealing with mental health issues in our community as well as the need for collective healing. The victims of Aguirre will have to heal from this experience with love and support from those around them. While at times we may encourage womyn to talk about their issues, men are encouraged to stay silent, often dealing with pain in violent ways. Rape and other violent crimes affect mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, etc. We do not, and should not, have to suffer in silence.

How do we reduce sexual violence against womyn? First of all, I think that the burden must not be placed on womyn. The common idea is that womyns’ actions get them raped. This misinformation is very problematic. We know that men can do the same things as womyn and never face a predator. Attackers must be held accountable for their actions and, as a society, we must stop shaming womyn into silence. Rape is never the victim’s fault.