25th November: Fighting Against Sexual Assault
Translated by Αναστασία Τσιτσάνη
“She had it coming”, “she shouldn’t have worn such provocative clothes”, “and then they say the rapist is to blame”. These are but some of the phrases that we hear on a daily basis from a lot of people, in the event of women’s sexual harassment.
Sexual violence is, now, an international phenomenon. It can be noticed starting from the modern western societies, that are, actually, thought to be the birthplace of the Enlightenment, Art, technology and the safeguarding of human rights and continuing up to the far East. In other words, the place where women are subjected to men and seen as beings with no power or will. And, of course, in case of expressing their objection to something, they run the risk of beating, public outcry, even torment. This phenomenon does not really concern some people anymore as “it is no longer popular, especially amongst the media”, resulting not only in its suppression, but, also, in its justification. In the year of 2017, 43% of the female population has experienced sexual violence, at least once. Every day, thousands of women of every age are abused. According to researches of the UNO, 1 out of 3 women has endured some kind of sexual violence.
Unfortunately, sexual violence always comes along with psychological, verbal or physical abuse. They are interconnected categories that do not discriminate between cultures, skin color, religion, or wealth. Insults, fear provocation, humiliation, financial deprivation, control over the other person’s social life. From an “innocent slap” to a serious injury, or, even, attempted homicide. Domestic violence, social violence, such as rape, sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as sex trafficking, sexual intercourse without consent; these are some of the very few incidences that a big part of the female population experiences.
The victims
Women start to ask themselves why they are in this position, they lower themselves and their value, while words such as self- respect, confidence and high self- esteem are non-existent to them. They wonder whether they are doing something wrong and they end up blaming themselves. Being physically and emotionally drained, full of fear and uncertainty for the future, they are unable to react, ending up isolated from everyone and everything. The perpetrators tend to rationalize the fact that the abused woman was the one who liked the violence and, at the same time, deserved it, blaming her “problematic” character, as well as making her feel guilty for the violence she had to endure.
The 25th of November is the international day for the elimination of violence against women. However, just once a year is not enough in order for people to wake up. They have to be sensitized, so that they can contribute to the safety of these women. At the same time, they also need to debunk the idea of the miserable woman that is created in their minds upon hearing about cases like these. Every form of violence, be it sexual, physical, verbal or psychological, should not be viewed in isolation. It is a plague that affects not only its victims, but also the society as a whole. The baseline for every human right is freedom, for which we should all fight for every day. Freedom does not belong just to a few people, but to all of us without any exception. That being said, on our way back home, we want to be free, not brave!
Original article in Greek by Βάσω Γιαγλή
