siriusly-blonde asked: I was on my facebook, and this story came up as someone had read it. I read it, and I wanted to know what you thought: www[.]guardian[.]co[.]uk/society/2012/feb/18/being-raped-by-gang-normal?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038
(Trigger Warning: discussions of rape and other forms of graphic and disturbing sexual violence)
The subject matter of the article is incredibly sickening and disheartening, but a lot of the substance in the article itself makes sense, and I am on board with many of the suggested courses of action.
In particular, I agree that education on this sort of thing needs to start in primary school. It needs to be preemptive and prevented. We can’t afford to just try and plug holes in the leaks as they happen, because they are clearly too many of them, and they are happening too fast. The kids are going down fast.
The coercion, manipulation, and normalization involved in these multiple and ongoing rapes (among other forms of sexual assault and abuses as well) seem almost impossible to combat. If they don’t know anything but this way of life, see no future for themselves outside of it (which fuels a survival instinct to do anything), and not to mention their boyfriend, an individual that is supposed to care for them and their best interest, rapes them and then tosses them to his friends, what on earth are they supposed to do?
A relationship education to empower young women sounds like a great idea, but it’s just a start. Not everyone would respond to that I’m sure. Also, I think it is important for young women like Isha, who haven’t come out on the other side, to be a part of this rehabilitation and readaptation process for other younger women who are now in the position that she once was herself.
We’re talking about a very dark world, and I think in order to get through to these individuals, to have it mean something, and make it stick, the message can’t be coming from a middle-aged, upper middle-class white woman that drives a prius for example. I could see that as being very insulting, offensive, and possibly even backfiring. These young women need to be able to relate to whoever is helping them, and see that getting out is possible. It has been done, and they will do it to.
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