Speaking up against sexual abuse towards women

One half of Canadian women experience some form of sexual assault/violence in their lives, and as I've noticed, this trend not only is present in our school, but it is accepted.

There are some people in this school who experience sexual abuse almost everyday, and in order for them to get through the day they have to accept that they will always be subject to this kind of treatment.

Problems just don't go away; they still exist but just fade away from media and out minds. Expecting people to know about this issue has left me with a serious problem, disappointment in our progress into abolishing discrimination and promoting equality, when students are allowed to get away with commenting on the size of a complete stranger's breasts, it means we have a lot of work to do.

Here begins my rant: Just because a woman dresses, is, or acts a certain way, does not give you any right to say sexual comments to her, most likely you in some way, shape or form makes her feel very uncomfortable. A lot of my female friends are actually afraid to be alone at home, walk out at nighttime, or take the bus by themselves, and don't give me that rationality where it's their problem and the person just had a “couple of bad experiences and it doesn't affect me,” because this is a problem that affects 51 per cent of women throughout Canada.

The people being affected could be our mothers, sisters, girlfriends, daughters and so on, and in order for this to stop, we, as a whole, need to start realizing the actions we take, which only takes a second, and lasts a lot longer in the person on the receiving end.

Sexual assault is not an issue that affects only the uneducated, the poor, minorities, and other groups, it is everywhere and can happen anytime, and a women should not feel that the only way to avoid this is to cover up what she should be proud about, her body, mind and ideas.

Abuse is not the fault of the person receiving it, they do not ask for it, they should not have people thinking that they should be expecting it, and you must not stand for it both outside and inside the college.

Stop sexualizing and objecting women; stop putting them on posters for promotion, which has the effect of making them believed to be nothing more than objects for our enjoyment. This problem spreads outwards from the posters, ads and media and finds its way into the lives of women everywhere and the women who do not fit this ideal form of beauty are to be subject to the reverse.

If you think there is equality, then you are wrong, even though we are given the same opportunities, the environment we live in gives women more issues to live with that others do not see, or do not wish to see. If I am being too general then please accept my apologies, this is intended to inform men about their effects on women and also trys to bring women together by accepting one another for who they are, and not what is seen.

Make one another feel beautiful, loved, accepted and equal, we are in college and should recognize the problems in society and try our best to abolish them, only by leading and speaking out can we right these wrongs. I encourage everyone to speak out, even if you are the only one in your group, voice the truth, voice your opinion, and voice the feelings of those who suffer in silence.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.