By Jamie Rasmussen
On November 24th Mini-School had a sexual violence speaker come in to talk with students about inappropriate mannerisms of sexual conduct. Suzi Kim defined sexual violence as a weapon used against another to gain power and control. Consent is the same as permission which is what one needs to be given in order to keep from being accused or charged with a sex crime.
Suzi Kim stated a scenario that consisted of a teenage male and female at a party. The male is a high school student who is valued by his community. The female is new to the area and the high school. Quickly, after learning about how special this guy is, she doesn’t think to hesitate when he tries to put the moves on her. Instead, she keeps her thoughts to herself and doesn’t resist as he has intercourse with her even though she is very uncomfortable. With the scenario in mind a question is then asked to the class. Is the female to blame? Most of the class agreed to her being at total fault, some believed half and half and one person believed she had little fault at all. Not one person chose to believe that she wasn’t to blame at all and was innocent. The law sees it that way because even though she didn’t say “no” she also didn’t say “yes” either. Therefore, he’s guilty of sexual violence. It must be remembered that consent can only be given when not under the influence.
Sexual perpetrators are people of all types. Size, shape, color, age, sex have nothing to do with the identity of one. Both sexes are capable of committing a sexually violent act and not necessarily with the opposite sex. Family members may suffer incest. Even the nicest, clean cut people cannot be excused. Looks can be deceiving. Prostitution is related to sexual violence because rights are violated when one is controlled by another like they are owned.
Statistics prove to be higher for women than men who are violated. However, because of the reputation of men all cases are not accounted for. Society has recently made it easier for women to come forth. There is zero tolerance for sexual harassment. No one deserves to have their confidence stripped from them. If you or someone you know has been violated or would like more information please call the crisis hot line at 871-5111.