Bittorf 1

Bri Bittorf

Professor Barnes

English 1201

April 29, 2021

One in Five: Rape and Sexual Assault

“Nearly one in five women have experienced, completed, or attempted rape during her

lifetime” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Nearly one out of every five women and

this number is only increasing. Many women, men, and even children as well, have to deal with

living through the trauma of experiencing rape and sexual assault, and this needs to be changed.

It is something no person should have to go through, but so many people of so many ages do.

How many times does a survivor have to cry out for help for a change to happen? For all of the

sexual violence to stop? In order for the amount of sexual violence, including rape and assault, to

be reduced in the United States, there needs to be more awareness brought to the issue, more

consistent punishment and more strict punishment for those who commit these awful acts, and

there needs to be a major change in society.

 Bittorf 2

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, rape is “unlawful sexual activity and usually

sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against a person's will or with a

person who is beneath a certain age or incapable of valid consent because of mental illness,

mental deficiency, intoxication, unconsciousness, or deception.” This is the dictionary definition,

but it does not even begin to describe what rape really is and how it makes an individual feel.

The exact feeling experienced in that moment. The feeling of being out of control, and the later

feeling of not being good enough for your own self or anybody else. The feeling of pain and

numbness throughout your body and mind. The feeling of worthlessness that stays with you for

so long. The feeling of broken trust that may never be repaired. The feeling of looking in the

mirror and seeing your rapist or assaulter every single time. The feeling of awakening every

night to the terrible nightmares. The feeling of looking your perpetrator in their eyes and

knowing they will most likely never get the consequences they truly deserve. The feeling of

never having that piece of you back again, and then the fear that comes following it. The fear that

you will never be safe again, the fear that you cannot speak up and the fear of never being the

same again. The dictionary definition of rape does not even touch the surface of what it really is

and what comes with it. Many people do not realize this, but with a change, maybe they will

begin to.
 Bittorf 3

So many children, adolescents, and grown adults are at risk of being sexually abused by

an individual, who could very well in fact be someone they know. In fact, many victims

personally know their attackers. Only fourteen percent of women and fifteen percent of men

reported being raped by a stranger, leaving the remaining victims being raped by someone they

know (Palmer 9). The trauma that comes with being betrayed by somebody you know is

unfathomable, especially if you trusted them. Not only is this the case, but it is often children that

have to go through this. Close to half of all female survivors are raped before the age of eighteen

(Palmer 9). Until an individual reaches eighteen years old they are considered a child, that means

that almost half of all females that have been raped, have been raped as a child. Nobody should

have to go through this, but especially not as a child. Children’s brains are constantly developing,

and they are just beginning to discover the world. Their interpretation of the world is ruined at

such a young age, and they carry that with them forever. In addition to this, children are often

known to fib about things, it is a natural process of childhood. With this being said, if a child

does open up and tell others about their experience, the adult(s) may not believe them, and this

may lead to the child developing trust issues and other mental health issues since they are unable

to open up about their trauma. While this is the case, many people do not know this, many

people do not care to know this, and many people do not even believe it when they are informed

about it.

In addition to this, many people do not know exactly what sexual assault is. For this

reason, many women and men are sexually assaulted and nothing is done about it because they

do not realize it is indeed sexual assault towards the victim. Victims often also think they are in

the wrong, or other people do not think what was done to them was sexual assault. Sexual assault

can be anything that is said or done to an individual without their consent. This can range from
 Bittorf 4

things such as verbal harassment, to touching an individual in a sexual way without them being

okay with it. Victims also include people who are unable to give consent whether that be because

of their age or mental state. Many of these people are at risk, and these people are typically

targeted more than others would be. With this being said, anybody could be a potential victim.

Not only is this the case, but sexual assault can be “verbal, visual, or non-contact” as well (Office

on Women’s Health ). This can range from cat calling and verbally harassing, to stalking and

taking pictures without permission, and anywhere in between. Many rapists often tend to take

absolutely anything as consent. Consent must be a clear yes to want to participate in sexual

activities. Not responding does not mean yes. Begging until an individual gives in does not mean

yes. And being told yes one time does not mean yes every time after that. Another thing many

people do not realize is that sexual assault can be acted upon by their significant other. Many

people do not get the help they need when they are raped or sexually assaulted because they just

assume that it is okay since it is their partner forcing these acts upon them. That is not the case

though. If everybody knew these things and everybody acted upon these things, it would help

reduce the amount of rape and sexual assault or at least get more people to open up about it.

Along with many people being unaware of what sexual assault consists of, many

authority figures do not stay consistent with punishment towards the perpetrator. Many victims

do not get the justice they deserve, as their assaulters or rapists continue doing the same thing,

without any punishment. In 2012, Barack Obama mentioned that “too often, survivors suffer in

silence, fearing retribution, lack of support, or that the criminal justice system will fail to bring

the perpetrator to justice” (Palmer 2). Far too often, victims of these acts will go weeks, months,

years, or possibly forever without speaking the truth because they are afraid of what might

happen, or more likely what might not happen. That they will be accused of being liars, or
 Bittorf 5

simply that nothing will be done about it because that is what is normal. That is what victims

speaking out about their experiences usually results in. Although sexual violence is very

prevalent in the United States, many offenders are never arrested, nor prosecuted. This leads to

many victims staying quiet because oftentimes, nothing will ever be done about it and they will

be accused of being a liar, a faker, a whore, and needy for attention. The shaming gets put onto

the victims opposed to the attacker committing these awful acts, and the legal system does not

help with this, as they usually do nothing.

Not only is nothing ever done about it within everyday people’s lives, but this carries

over into celebrities, which sometimes makes everyday people think it is acceptable. Celebrities

such as Mike Tyson, Bill Cosby, Tupac, and many others that have been convicted of sexual

assault and/or rape make other people think it is okay and it is the cool thing to do. Some people

look up to these celebrities and try to be just like them, so the fact that they turn around and do

this after having respect from many people, is a very poor way to lead by example. While this is

true, the opposite is also true. There have also been so many celebrities that have come out and

have shared their stories with the world. Paget Brewster, Lucy Hale, Lady Gaga, and many other

influential and inspiring celebrities have stepped up and shared their own personal experiences.

By doing so, they have inspired many others to step up and share what they have been through

themselves. By celebrities sharing the experiences and traumas they have been through, it

inspired the “me too” movement, as many individuals had been through the same experiences.

The “me too” movement is a great example of what could happen if people start to speak up, it

leads to more people feeling comfortable to speak up. This chain reaction could then possibly

lead to the amount of sexual violence present in the United States decreasing.
 Bittorf 6

While the “me too” movement led to many people beginning to speak up, it still does not

change the fact that the punishment for rapists and assaulters is nowhere near what it should be.

First of all, more times than not, rapists and assaulters do not even end up getting arrested for

their crimes. “According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, approximately 12% of the

283,200 annual rape Rape and or sexual assault victimizations between 2005-2010 resulted in an

arrest at the scene or during a follow-up investigation” (Palmer 15). The fact that only twelve

percent of victims get a slither of the justice they deserve is sickening. What is even more

sickening than that is the prosecution rates from these arrests. Out of these minimal arrests,

“two-thirds of survivors have had their legal cases dismissed, and more than 80% of the time,

this contradicted her desire to prosecute” (Palmer 15). More times than not, the victim goes

through more consequences than the perpetrator. Dealing with their attacker remaining free,

society shaming them, or them feeling like they have to keep quiet about it is extremely hard on

an individual. Any individual who puts a victim through the things they had to go through,

should have major consequences, and it rarely happens that way. This then leads to more victims

not speaking up, which eventually leads to more cases of sexual violence, since nothing will be
 Bittorf 7

done about it. It is a vicious cycle that will never get broken if our legal system does not change

the way they handle cases of sexual assault and/or rape.

While victims in today’s society still do not get the justice they deserve, they get a lot

more than victims did in the past. In the past, “rape originated as crime against property, not a

crime against a person” (Tracy 2). A person is forced to participate in sexual activity, and the

consequences for that person are equivalent to someone who commits a crime against property.

When individuals were actually punished in the past, they got it the easy way out, with minimal

consequences. It is hard to decide what punishment for rape and sexual assault should be, as each

case is different in many ways, which results in different needs for different punishments. While

this is true, the overall punishments should be a lot more than what they are now. So many

people get away with very minimal punishment if any, and that is completely asinine. If the rates

of rape and overall sexual violence are going to decrease in the United States, there needs to be

far stricter punishment placed on these individuals committing these awful acts on these helpless

individuals.

Not only is the legal system failing the victims and potential victims of rape and sexual

assault, but so is society. Rape culture is something that has been present for decades upon

decades but was officially coined with a name in the 1970s. Rape culture is widely known as the

ways society blames sexual assault victims instead of the perpetrators and normalizes male

sexual violence towards females or other males (Brandon University 1). Rape is something that

many people do not take seriously, whether that be jokes being made, sexual activity being

encouraged, victims being ignored, or even victims being shamed. People may not realize it in

the moment, but so many everyday things that people say and do are examples of the rape culture

our society has developed over time. This includes things such as sexual jokes, blaming the
 Bittorf 8

victim, criticizing what women wear leading to the assumption that they may have “asked for it,”

and encouraging men to be sexually active while calling women derogatory names if they are

sexually active. In addition to this, instead of teaching men that rape is wrong, young women are

being taught how to avoid getting raped. Our society has made these things the norm, which is

just encouraging rape and sexual assault to be more prevalent than it already is, whether that is

intentional or not.

A great example of rape culture is found within the sports community. Many athletes and

sports directors support this behavior and typically are not corrected when they act upon these

ideas. One example is with Larry Nassar, “a former team doctor for both organizations, who was

convicted of widespread sexual abuse of more than 300 gymnasts, some as young as 6 years,

who competed for clubs under the USA Gymnastics umbrella and MSU” (Taylor and

Paule-Koba 1). This man was trusted by so many athletes and individuals, and he betrayed their

trust, but many of them said nothing, as they were too scared because of the rape culture they are

surrounded by, especially being involved in these sports. According to this same source, “Baylor

University’s football program has been described as having a culture permissive toward rape, as

more than 30 players on the football team were accused of more than 50 acts of rape between

2011 and 2014” (Taylor and Paule-Koba 2). Things like this will happen all the time, but nothing

is ever done about it because of the fear of what might happen if these highly admired athletes

are called out and have to deal with the consequences. Authorities in these sports facilities would

rather watch an individual go through the pain and trauma of being raped, than watch one of their

athletes get punished. These two examples show how this is in the real world and how rape

culture is always present within professional sports, and even lower-level sports as well. It all

starts with one step, and if that one step starts with changing society’s attitudes towards rape and
 Bittorf 9

sexual assault, many more steps could be made to lead to the reduction of sexual assault, and

even rape, present in the United States.

While society is continuously creating a culture that supports rape and sexual assault,

there have been a few ways that individuals and groups have encouraged this behavior and this

culture to stop. One way is what I mentioned earlier, the “me too” movement. Many survivors

came together and shared their stories with the world, encouraging many others to follow in their

footsteps, and bringing awareness and change. Another way is through sexual assault awareness

month, which is the entire month of April. During this month, many people try to educate the

public on the harsh truth of rape and sexual assault, they try to bring a change, and they try to

help bring closure and provide support for those individuals who have gone through this trauma.

Many survivors come out during this time and share their stories, showing others that they are

not alone, and showing their perpetrators that they are stronger than they thought. Through things

like this, many survivors are able to cope better and help themselves, while also helping many

others. If our society as a whole had a mindset and mentality more like this, opposed to a rape

culture mentality, the rates of sexual violence would go down tremendously.

While doing these things may lead to decreasing numbers of sexual assault and rape

vicitms that are present in the United States, many people will still ask why it matters, and many

still will not see the problem with these behaviors. Along with this, many people may not think

that doing these things will help the issue, as there will always be these bad people in the world,

but with the right actions and the right mindset, it can be done. Victims of sexual violence have

many long-term health effects they have to live with, and many people do not realize all of the

effects this trauma has physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially. According to Serena

Palmer, once again, sexual violence survivors often suffer from physical and mental health
 Bittorf 10

problems that can follow them for life, which include things such as “depression, chronic pain,

diabetes, anxiety, eating disorders, and post-traumatic stress disorder” (3). These survivors did

not ask to have to live with these problems for the rest of their life, and they surely do not want

to either, but they have to, all because someone could not control themselves. Going through this

as a child leads to even more added health effects than adults have to deal with. “Experiencing

child sexual abuse is an adverse childhood experience (ACE) that can affect how a person thinks,

acts, and feels over a lifetime, resulting in short- and long-term physical and mental/emotional

health consequences” (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). Many children then deal with

these effects forever and it is a terrible thing to have to deal with, especially as a child. Along

with this, these effects never go away. These children have to live with these consequences that

somebody else put on them, and they have to live with them forever. So if you are ever

questioning why it matters or why it is a big deal, this is why. So many people have to live with

the lifelong effects of being raped and/or sexually assaulted, and it affects them in more ways

than non-victims realize.

Even if change is not brought immediately, or if someone is not sure what they can do to

help fix the issue of rape and sexual assault, there is always something that can be done, and

everybody can help make a change. One main thing that can be done is to just be there for those

who have gone through this terrible trauma of either being raped, sexually assaulted, or possibly

even both. It is a hard thing to cope with, and having someone, or multiple people there to help

push that person along and recover makes a world of a difference. Another thing that can be done

is to speak up. Stand up for what you believe and fight for those who may not feel comfortable

fighting for themselves, those who feel like they will not be believed and do not have a voice.

Both of these things may not seem like they are a big deal, but with the combination of being
 Bittorf 11

there for victims, speaking up, increasing punishment, and working to change societies views, a

change will be made, and the rates of sexual violence in the United States will decrease.

Personally knowing victims that have gone through the trauma of sexual violence,

especially rape, and then further researching this topic has led me to come up with a few possible

solutions for this very serious problem. Many individuals, more than there should be, go through

this trauma, but there are ways this can be reduced. If more awareness is brought to the topic,

there is more consistent punishment, more strict punishment, and if society got rid of the “rape

culture” that is present, then the amount of sexual violence that is portrayed in the United States

has the potential of being reduced. Make the one in five down to zero in five, be the change and

be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. It takes an army of people to bring a

change, but it only takes one person to start that army.

 Bittorf 12

Works Cited

Dastagir, Alia E. “It’s Been Two Years Since the #MeToo Movement Exploded. Now What?”

USA Today, Sept. 30, 2019,

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/09/30/me-too-movement-women-sexu

al-assault-harvey-weinstein-brett-kavanaugh/1966463001/. Accessed Mar. 28, 2021.

Palmer, Serena. Federal Action on Rape, Sexual Assault, and Domestic Violence. E-Book, New

York, Nova Science Publishers, 2015. Accessed Mar. 2, 2021.

“Rape Culture.” Brandon University,

https://www.brandonu.ca/sexualviolence/education-prevention/rape-culture/. Accessed

Mar. 16, 2021.

“Sexual Assault.” Office on Women’s Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services,

Mar. 14, 2019,

https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/sexual-assault-and-rape/sexual-a

ssault. Accessed Mar. 4, 2021.

“Sexual Violence is Preventable.” Injury Prevention & Control, Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention, Dec. 16, 2020,

https://www.cdc.gov/injury/features/sexual-violence/index.html. Accessed Mar. 2, 2021.

Taylor, Elizabeth A., and Paule-Koba, Amanda. “‘It’s our responsibility’: Examining the

Integration of Sexual Harassment and Assault Education in Sport Management

Programs.” Sport Management Education Journal, vol. 14, no. 1, Apr. 2020, pp. 1-11,

https://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=17&sid=138cac04-3a55-4258-

9dc4-1e6ec22f116d%40sdc-v-sessmgr01. Accessed Mar. 3, 2021.

 Bittorf 13

Tracy, Carol E., et al. “Rape and Sexual Assault in the Legal System.” June 5, 2012,

file:///home/chronos/u-cda1eacf68c4b06b8edfd535c2f7a2bfa3a96d60/MyFiles/Download

s/dbasse_080060%20(8).pdf. Accessed Mar. 24, 2021.