One day at lunch, a group of four young men seated by me were having a discussion about a rape video. They chatted so loudly about it I had no problem tuning my ears for better reception. Any ways, even though they had no knowledge of the perpetrator and victim, they spoke as if they did. All except one agreed that the lady deserved what she got and was to be blamed. The lady represented a case study related to their own experiences.
Rape is unjust and affects the victim deeply. They experience a drastic reality shift, they see life and themselves in another light different than before. Feelings of anger, fear, shock, denial and confusion sets in coupled with the shame and stigmatization. In some cases, victims who can’t bear the pain of living in caged silence are often driven to commit suicide.
It is better to conquer silence by speaking out. To break this cycle, rape victims must start by breaking the silence, this will lead to the path of recovery and help victims become survivors. For any survivor reading this, you don’t have to go through it alone, it is a must for you to rise above the chains and break the silence so that you can identify and become part of people who truly understand your struggle.
Rape is a crime and in fact an epidemic: if a disease breaks out, it is publicly addressed hence, the subject of rape “should” also be discussed openly and constructively as well. It is life threatening and not to be treated as a joke. Rape is something people are afraid of, but feel free to #SpeakOut. If everyone stays silent, rape will continue to happen with nothing to stop it, therein the cycle needs to be broken.
I have to say that we as a society need to change our mindset towards rape by not making it look less awkward and shameful instead let us contribute our support to rape survivors. It is important we start the walk with them to encourage them #SpeakOut. As soon as enough people join the cause there will be revolution and rape will no longer define who people are. We all must stand to #EndRape