As a paranoid female student, and a daughter of worried parents, something needs to be done about the rape culture that occurs on Ohio University’s campus.
In just the past two weeks, there have been three cases of sexual assault reported on our campus. It seems that sexual violence is only becoming more common in Athens; when will it be taken more seriously?
Sadly, one in five women will be a victim of sexual assault in her lifetime, and the numbers are only increasing. At a young age, girls are taught to never go anywhere alone and to never talk to strangers. As we begin to get older, we are told not to dress a certain way, or act a certain way because men could get the wrong idea. All we ever see are tips for women to prevent rape while very little responsibility falls on the men who are doing it. Society continues to make it the women's duty to prevent rape, making it seem like it is our fault if we fail to do so.
But who is really at fault for this?
The only person responsible for rape is the perpetrator. Our society needs to begin teaching boys at a young age to respect women instead of telling girls ways they can prevent being sexually assaulted. We need to help men on college campuses — and everywhere — to understand that consent is important, and it is never acceptable to take advantage of women, regardless of the circumstances. We need to be much clearer about consequences to the potential predators, instead of targeting those who could be assaulted.
It is not okay that women on Ohio University's campus constantly feel paranoid and scared anywhere they go. We need to be much more direct about the fact that rape is never okay, and it is never the victim's fault. Together, we need to make Ohio University’s campus a safer place.
Everyone at Ohio University must refrain from blaming the victims, and we must start holding the criminals accountable for what they did.
Kyle Shasteen is a sophomore studying pre-nursing at Ohio University.
