Suller, Anika Aryanna T. 12 – St.

Lawrence
Dear Society, Blame the system not the victim

The piece of clothing one chooses to wear is not a form of consent. Multiple
organizations enforce dress codes that are biased against women. These dress codes serve as
a constant reminder that us women need to cover up, that wearing leggings are seen as
inappropriate, that our shorts are too short, that our collarbones must be covered up, that our
skirt length must be below the knee, that our bare shoulders and bra straps can't be showing.
Due toa these systems, women constantly feel embarrassed, objectified and sexualized. A
common reasoning for these dress policies is that revealing too much skin is a distraction and
possibly a form of disruption.

The idea that the amount of clothing women wear has anything to do with assault is
universal and continuing. A study conducted on 2018 has found that 81 percent of women
nationwide has had experienced some form of sexual harassment during their lifetime (2018
Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault | Stop Street Harassment, 2019). That makes one in
three women Worldwide. In Islamic jurisprudence, coercing a woman to commit adultery
against her will, will be punished accordingly, although these laws are administered in the
country, forms of sexual assault are very much still present. It is a part of Muslim women's
culture to wear the Niqab, full-body garments that only expose their eyes. Despite being
covered from head-to-toe multiple cases of assault still exist and is an ongoing issue. This
proves as evidence that no matter how modestly you dress, it does not prevent sexual assault.
Another argument is child sexual abuse. Woman who wears revealing clothes are not the
sexual assaulter's only target as children, grown men, nurses, students, passersby's, everyone
is not excepted from the hands of the assaulter. There is no limit to an assaulter and age is
definitely not one of those limits. Even young children at the comfort of their home have
been assaulted and reports in the Philippines claim that most of the times the perpetrators are
people that have direct relations to the victim. Taking all of these incidents into account, is
the real issue here within our clothing?

Therefore, the blame should not be placed upon the victim and their clothing but
instead the problem, the perpetrator. We ask a lot from victims of sexual violence; we ask
them not only to speak up but to relive their trauma experiences by doing so. Most often than
not the victims get blamed for what happened to them when in reality it is not a woman's
responsibility to control the lustful desires of a man and their actions. Clothing is not a form
of consent. An open jacket is not an invitation of any kind as consent is a mutual
understanding between two parties. Assault only happens because an assaulter commits the
assault.
 2018 Study on Sexual Harassment and Assault | Stop Street Harassment. (2019, April 26).
Stop Street Harassment. https://stopstreetharassment.org/our-work/nationalstudy/2018-
national-sexual-abuse-report/
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+women+in+the+world+experienced+sexual+
assault&rlz=1C1UEAD_enPH1030PH1030&sxsrf=AJOqlzUzoT80xcBrjVL1dWf0H23Fg9h
piQ%3A1677460234760&ei=CgP8Y4GPLr6p4-
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4Q4dUDCA8&uact=5&oq=how+many+women+in+the+world+experienced+sexual+assault
&gs_lcp=Cgxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAQAzIFCAAQgAQyBQgAEIAEMgUIABCABDIFCAAQ
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BBggBEAEYAQ&sclient=gws-wiz-serp
https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2016/04/13/why-dress-codes-cant-stop-
sexual-assault/
https://avalonhealing.org/blog/serving-muslim-women-who-experienced-sexual-assault/
https://thisisgendered.org/entry/dress-code/
https://thoughtcatalog.com/shahida-arabi/2017/11/dear-society-women-shouldnt-have-to-
dress-modestly-to-be-respected-or-to-avoid-rape/