Different Ways You Can Stand Against Rape Culture
‘’What I want young women and girls to know is: You are powerful and your voice matters. ‘’
– Kamala Harris
At some point in our lives we—especially the male population—must have been told by our parents or perhaps even by our teachers that we should learn to respect women. Despite being taught this at an early age, when we grow up, some of us tend to forget the lessons we learned in our childhood. Every other day we see new cases about rape against women. It’s become so common to switch on the television and find a news report about a woman’s rape.
Life is a beautiful gift which is handed to us by God. People must learn to respect not only theirs but also everyone else’s life as well. As individuals, it is our duty to contribute—if not in large, then atleast in small ways—towards the cause of standing against rape culture.
We can start with small things like being more observant about our surroundings. If we pay close attention to our everyday lives we will be shocked to see how many things we actually notice. Incase if you find that anyone in your neighbourhood or your friend group shows any signs of being a rape victim then you should try and reach out to them. Showing that you are there for them will help them to not only open up to you but it will also give them the courage to reach out for official help.
You should also speak up incase you hear anyone making harsh, inappropriate or vulgar comments on a woman. Sometimes the victim may not have the courage to use her own voice to put a stop to such comments as she might be uncomfortable or nervous in that situation. But if you take the initiative in helping her it would encourage her to do it herself the next time. Stopping such things is the first step in preventing any future incidents from happening.
If you find anyone—including your friends, family members, colleagues— who is being harassed online, in the form of inappropriate messages or vulgar content being send by some stalker or creep, then you should immediately suggest that person to report that account. Incase the problem escalates then you should persuade them to contact the official authorities and file a report against the perpetrator.
You should make use of various social media platforms inorder to spread awareness about the wrongness of rape as well as encourage its victims to seek out justice through the law. You should also make a list and post about various organisations that offer victims help so that they can overcome any post trauma effects which they might be suffering from. You should also join various movements against women rape inorder to show your support and make a difference.
Victim-blaming is a common thing wherein some members of the society blame the woman for being responsible for encouraging the rape. It’s not a right thing to do, however, they are some small minded people who are insensitive enough to do it. We should stop blaming the victim and instead fault the rapist for his actions. The woman should not bear the shame of another’s actions. She should not be made to feel as if she has done something wrong.
We should promote gender equality. Gender equality means a society wherein men and women are placed on the same level in terms of respect, wages, rights, opportunities, etc. Even though our society has progressed so much over the years, it still lags behind when it comes to giving women the same respect and honour that it gives to men. That should be changed as women work as hard as men and should not be treated unfairly or poorly.
We should help to create a safe environment in our workplaces, schools, colleges, neighbourhoods and even on the streets so that women can roam freely without having to worry about anything. This can be done if we all learn to move forward with time, leaving our backward mentality behind. It’s important to learn the value of another person’s life and not do things that could lead to it’s ruin. We should always be mindful of our actions and remember that we ourselves have mothers and sisters at home who we would not want any harm to come on.
If we all work together to accomplish the goal of permanently eradicating the world of any more rape cases then we will definitely achieve hundred percent results. A world where all female individuals may walk freely, will no longer be wistful thinking but it would be a reality.
By: Sasha Ana Lobo
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