Nicole Cyr
The Paw Print
Shark attacks are on the news, in movies, in newspapers, in stories, and in everyday life. The publicity behind shark attacks makes the attacks seem common. Worldwide in 2013, 125 shark attacks occurred. This number is surprisingly small when one takes into account the number of people that visit the beaches and oceans throughout the year. The statistics show that one in eleven point five million people have the chance of being bitten by a shark. While the chances of being bitten by a shark are slim, the chances of being sexually abused are much higher. However, due to the relatively low amount of publicity given to these crimes, the prominence of sexual abuse is not known. We must increase knowledge in schools of sexual abuse, as well as provide prevention methods for this crime.
Believe it or not, only five percent of the world’s population lives in the United States. In this five percent of the world, approximately 237, 868 people are sexually assaulted each year. In other words, for every one person that is bitten by a shark worldwide, approximately 1,903 people are sexually assaulted in the United States.
While one generally has to be in the ocean to be bitten by a shark, sexual abuse knows no geographical limitations. Sexual abuse does not acknowledge ethnicity, gender, social class, age, or any other classifications. Statistically, one in five females will be involved in a rape or attempted rape and one in two females will experience sexual violence that is not rape in her lifetime. Furthermore, three percent of men in the United States will experience attempted or completed rape, and one in five males will experience a form of sexual abuse other than rape in his lifetime. Forty-four percent of all victims are under the age of eighteen, while eighty percent of all victims are under the age of thirty. While some may think that the offenders are normally strangers, this is a misconception. Sixty-seven percent of rapists are known to the victim, and seventy- three percent of sexual assault victims knew the abuser.
Clearly, sexual assault is a prominent problem and is often misunderstood by the general public. Some of the mystery and confusion behind sexual abuse can be correlated to the lack of police reports filed by sexual assault victims. Approximately sixty percent of sexual abuse crimes are unreported. The lack of reporting directly correlates to the lack of punishment for offenders. In fact, ninety-seven percent of rapists do not serve any jail time.
I am leaving now. No, no, no. Let me go. Stop. Please, please don’t. I want to go home. Cries that go on and on without ceasing. Cries that start out loud, strong, demanding, and eventually die down to desperate pleas. She begs to be allowed to leave the room in which she is trapped. Fingers squeeze the love and peace out of her wrists and forearms while she struggles to break free of the nightmare that has threatened to engulf her. She struggles and everything becomes worse. In an attempt to think rationally, she decides to try and deescalate the situation. Appeal to his better side. Mind spinning and heart thumping she gives in a little. He drags her farther from the door into a corner. She grabs her phone only to realize that she has no service. He tugs at her like she is a ragdoll. He holds her close, kisses her lips, and touches her body. She wants to vomit. She prays to be free, free or dead. As she silently prays, her family comes to mind and she knows she must live. She must live for her family. She begs God to make him stop. She shakes uncontrollably as he tells her that he loves her. That he loves me. I weep and wait. Finally, I find a way out. I am free. Free. The same day that I was waiting to die, I told my parents what happened. The same day and yet it felt like a lifetime had passed.
Ultimately, sexual abuse is a prominent problem in the United States and a stance needs to be taken against these crimes. It is time to raise awareness and education to stop the abuse that is taking place in every state, city, town, community, and school district. Sexual abuse affects everyone regardless of race, gender, age, social status, and any other classifications that are used to label individuals. Therefore, it is going to require effort on the part of every American citizen to take an active stance and help prevent these atrociously inhumane crimes from occurring with such terrifying frequency.
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