Palo Alto High School's News and Features Publication

Verde Magazine

Verde Magazine

Verde Magazine

Breaking the silence: We need to change the way we think about rape

On Aug. 11, 2012 in Steubenville, Oh., Trent Mays and Ma’lik Richmond, two members of the Steubenville  High School football team, brought a drunk 16-year-old girl to several parties and raped her.

On March 17, 2013, Mays and Richmond were convicted of rape. Mays is also guilty of distributing a nude photo of her. Mays will serve at least two years in juvenile detention, while Richmond will spend at least one, and both need to register as sex offenders.
But somehow, some elements of the mainstream media has sympathized with the rapists. Many blamed the girl, saying she should not have gone to the party and gotten drunk.

Such statements create an incredibly negative environment for rape survivors, which makes it next to impossible to recover from the traumatic event.
Rape victims are often afraid or ashamed to come forward and tell someone that they have been raped for fear of getting judged as a lesser person because they are seen as promiscuous, as if they somehow could have caused the rape.
Rape is, by definition an act in which someone is forced to have sex against their will. America needs to reassess the way it views and deals with rape, because without reform, the situation will only get worse.

For the rest of the story, click this link: http://palyvoice.com/2013/04/08/breaking-the-silence/ 

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