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April - Sexual Assault Awareness month
- edwardmackenzie2
- Apr 5
- 2 min read
Although this is a campaign from the USA it is certainly relevant here as well. After the recent case of Gunner Jaysley Beck it is painfully obvious that sexual assault and harassment is still a common occurrence in both civilian and military life.
The world seems to be consumed with adding the right pronouns but maybe we should be taking it back to basics and being more concerned with the rights and safety of everyone?
Although women are predominantly targeted, men also suffer from harassment and sexual assault and whilst women are hesitant to report it for fear of being unheard or their character being vilified, men don’t seem to report it for fear of being ridiculed.
“It’s just banter”, is often the excuse and banter is all well and good when all parties involved understand this and are happy with it. When an individual is not happy or feels uncomfortable with it then it is bullying and harassment.
Unfortunately, there is no ‘quick fix’ to this, no one is going to wave a magic wand and everyone treat each other with dignity and respect. This will be a long process of teaching our children to treat each other with respect and for us as adults to stand up to those perpetrating this predator attitude and lifestyle.
If you can stand up to this behaviour, do so, whether it is a friend, colleague or total stranger. The more people stand up for those targeted, the more you can make a difference. Only then will those affected be able to speak up with confidence of being heard.
#NotOkay #ItsNotOkTo #BelieveSurvivors#EndSexualViolence #RapeCulture
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