By Alexandra Samuels, a KSU Women’s Center Writing Intern
*This post contains sensitive material that may trigger some individuals who have dealt with sexual assault*
The center for Sexual and Relationship Violence Support Services (SRVSS) on Kent State’s campus provides help and support for anyone who struggles or is struggling with sexual violence. They offer support, crisis intervention, adjudication assistance, conduct support, and academic intervention. The center for SRVSS is located in Williamson House along with the Women’s Center. If you or anyone you know is struggling with sexual violence you can call SRVSS at (330) 672-8016.
Officially recognized in 2001, Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) was created to address the ongoing problem that is still widespread today: sexual violence. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) creates a theme each year to better aim intentions for the month. The theme for this month is “Drawing Connections: Prevention Demands Equity,” which hopes to encourage individuals and organizations to help change the systems surrounding us to build racial equity and respect. This recognizes that all forms of oppression will need to be addressed in order to create a healthy environment where individuals do not have to fear for their well-being.
While nowadays there are laws in place to protect victims of sexual assault, this was not always the case. Sexual violence has a long and complicated history and can be seen referenced in early texts such as firsthand accounts from explorers, ancient Greek works, and religious texts. Unfortunately, most of what we know from these times was from the accounts of the perpetrators.
Sexual assault has largely been linked to war and slavery. This is still an unfortunate reality for many as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues. More than 60 accounts of rape have been reported in the Kherson region alone and is still a threat to Ukrainians living in Russian controlled regions. More than 1,000 survivors in Kherson have also reported an array of abuses with threats of sexual assault and even death.
The United States also has a dark history surrounding slavery. Sexual violence against slaves was sadly very common since there were not many laws protecting their rights. It was not until 1861 that African Americans could finally file a claim of sexual assault against a White person. This would have been during the Civil War which started in 1861 and lasted until 1865.
Immediately following the Civil War, many southern states enacted Jim Crow laws which enforced the segregation of Black people. In 1944, Racy Taylor was walking home in Abbeville, Alabama, when she was kidnapped by six White men and sexually assaulted in the back of a truck. Even though one person confessed to the crime, White jurors still declared the perpetrators innocent. This tragic incident became one of the many reasons the civil rights movement started, challenging Jim Crow laws and the unfair treatment of Black citizens.
Shortly following the civil rights movement was the anti-rape movement which sought for more laws regarding sexual assault. When the United States was only the thirteen colonies, there only one law against sexual assault and it described rape as the “carnal knowledge of a woman 10 year or older, forcibly and against her will.” This definition suggests that sexual violence cannot happen to children under ten years of age, and that a ten-year-old is capable of consenting to sexual activity. This was not reformed until the late 1800s when suffragists were able to get the legal consent age raised to an age between fourteen and eighteen, depending on the state.
Later, in 1975 during the anti-rape movement, congress finally adopted rules 412-415 which states that a victim’s sexual history cannot be brought up in court to discredit them. This was a large milestone for justice against sexual assaulters as previously they could discredit a victim by describing their sexual history, or by making false claims. The following year, 1976, Nebraska would become the first state to criminalize marital rape. Marital rape would not be outlawed nationwide until 1993.
A more recent movement called MeToo has surfaced within the last few years. This movement encourages people to speak out against coworkers who have sexually harassed or assaulted them, spreading the knowledge of just how common sexual harassment in the workplace is. This has inspired more employers to start including a section in their contracts regarding sexual misconduct, which states that the perpetrator will be punished, if not terminated from their position.
While progress has been made to fight against sexual violence, many are still forced to live with the fear that it may happen to them. Recent studies have shown that 1 in 5 women will experience either attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. Along with this, 81% of women and 43% of men will have to endure sexual harassment. In 2018 alone it was reported that 734,630 filed against someone for either attempted rape or completed rape. This does not include those who may have experienced sexual assault and were unable to file against their perpetrator. To put this into perspective, this is twice the size of the population of Cleveland.
At a more local setting, 1 in 4 undergraduate college students will experience sexual assault or misconduct during their studies. This study was done at 32 of the 33 universities in the Association of American Universities. In Ohio, this would include The Ohio State University, and Case Western Reserve.
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has compiled a list of recommendations in order to help prevent sexual assault. These recommendations include teaching positive communication skills, teaching conflict resolution (includes managing emotions), increasing communication about sexual activity (to promote healthy sexuality), creating healthy environments (schools and other public facilities), speaking out against sexual harassment, knowing where to get help (crisis centers), providing treatments (therapy for anxiety, depression, and PTSD), and knowing the signs of human trafficking.
The National Human Trafficking Hotline has also provided a list of signs that may make someone more vulnerable to human trafficking. This encompasses a very unstable living condition, if they are experiencing sexual violence, are undocumented immigrants, are facing poverty or economic need, has a caregiver who has a severe substance abuse problem, or if they themselves have a substance abuse problem.
A key sign that a child is being trafficked is if they are involved in the sex industry, which is automatically considered trafficking in the United States. Another sign is if someone has a strict or controlling manager/pimp, or if someone’s spouse, caregiver, or partner is controlling and does not let them participate in any social activities or see friends/family.
Some situations that could also lead to trafficking include being asked to sign a contract in a different language, becoming involved in a fast-moving relationship where the other person showers them with gifts, or even being offered a job that involves relocation without receiving many details.
Above all, awareness is one of the most important things when it comes to educating the public about issues that many still must face today. During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, we should all strive to better understand what the month means and how we can help prevent sexual violence and social injustice.
References
National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (n.d.). Statistics. https://www.nsvrc.org/statistics.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, July 5). Sexual Violence is Preventable. https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/sexual-violence/index.html.
National Human Trafficking Hotline. (2023). Recognizing the Signs. https://humantraffickinghotline.org/en/human-trafficking/recognizing-signs.
History.com Staff. (2018, October 9). When Sexual Assaults Made History. A&E Television Networks. https://www.history.com/news/sexual-assault-rome-slavery-columbus-jim-crow.
Bishop, K. (2018. April 5). A Reflection on the History of Sexual Assault Laws in the United States. The Arkansas Journal of Social Change and Public Service. https://ualr.edu/socialchange/2018/04/15/reflection-history-sexual-assault-laws-united-states/.
National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention. (2022, February 5). Prevention Strategies. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/sexualviolence/prevention.html.
National Sexual Violence Resource Center. (2023). Sexual Assault Awareness Month. https://www.nsvrc.org/saam.
Groves, S. (2023, April 19). Ukraine Top Prosecutor Says Russian Forces are Using Rape , Torture to Sow Terror. PBS News Hour. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-survivors-of-russian-war-crimes-in-ukraine-testify-in-house-hearing.
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