With a world of chaos from accusations in Hollywood all the way to the president of the United States, sexual abuse is being exposed. Sexual accusations are nothing new, especially not for Hollywood. But just how common is it? Studies reveal 1 out of every 6 woman have experienced sexual assault of some kind. Every 98 seconds sexual assault occurs in the United States. A hash tag with the words “me too” has trended on Twitter to highlight how many people have been assaulted, being shared more that 34 thousand times. If you do not feel sick yet, the numbers get worse. 11.2 percent of all students around the world will experience some type of sexual harassment or rape on campus.
So how can you help? Every college student has heard about someone being abused, seen it or even experienced it. You may think sexual assault is out of your hands but we can do a big part by getting victims to speak up. Show support to those you know have been affected and let them know they are not alone. Lets stop this nightmare by being aware of our surroundings and looking out for others at public gatherings. It is time to teach victims they should not be ashamed to speak up and instead let them do the shaming. It is time for the school council to address the issue and let the victims know this behavior is not tolerated.
