Читать книгу Be Strong, Be Wise - Amy R. Carpenter - Страница 9

Most young adults don’t think sexual assault will happen to them. They might feel they’re too well-supported, too smart, too sheltered, or too worldly to ever become a victim. And yet, according to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN), there’s a sexual assault approximately every ninety-two seconds in the US, with more than half involving victims between the ages of eighteen and thirty-four.

Perhaps the most unresolved issue of our time, sexual assault—classified as “unwanted sexual touch”—is also a taboo subject. Victims often choose secrecy; in fact, according to RAINN’s reports, out of 1,000 sexual assault cases, only five offenders will serve jail time. As a psychotherapist, I’ve treated sexual trauma for nearly twenty-five years, and I’ve never gotten used to hearing the troubling stories my clients have shared. When the #MeToo movement came along, so did the realization that I’d spent enough time in my career responding to assault, and perhaps it was time to work on preventing it.

The #MeToo movement helped us break down walls of secrecy by creating an arena where survivors could share their stories in the form of two simple words: me too. Now it’s time to create a new movement focused on keeping young people safe.