Sexual assault against women is all too common, and the University is no safety bubble — as the disturbingly frequent emails from University police regarding fondlings and other forms of assault against female students make clear. Though there are groups on grounds such as the Sexual Assault Resource Agency that help victims of assault, few efforts have been made to prevent the assault in the first place.
During the weekend, the White Ribbon Campaign made impressive strides toward violence prevention by presenting “The Vagina Monologues,” a play by Eve Ensler centered on the issue of women’s body image and violence against women, in the Chemistry Building. The White Ribbon Campaign, whose members pledge “never to commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls,” is a national organization focused on preventing gender-based violence. The campaign is active on Grounds and raised more than $1,000 with its staging of “The Vagina Monologues.” Ninety percent of the money raised was donated to the Women’s Center. The remainder went to the V-Day fund, a charity committed to ending domestic and sexual violence globally.
While hilarious and entertaining, “The Vagina Monologues” spoke painful truth when it came to sexual assault. The production, a series of short monologues based on interviews conducted with hundreds of women, was both funny and unsettling. With as many as one in three women around the world being assaulted in their lifetime, it is no wonder that along with the comic narratives were some heartbreaking and tragic ones. But the emotional stories did not detract from the play but rather made it stronger — for it is through the use of pathos that people are most often motivated to act, and taking action is incredibly important right now.
Violence against women is one of the most important social issues we currently face. Survivors of sexual attacks can experience long-lasting health problems such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Society as a whole also suffers from the prevalence of sexual violence. Violence against women results in a widespread fear of danger where women are constantly threatened by the possibility of assault and thus lack the ability to do certain things such as walk alone or walk after dark. These restraints can be incredibly frustrating as a college student, especially when you have a late class or need to walk back from the library late at night.
College women are at an especially high risk for gender-based violence, and girls aged 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape or sexual assault. Although the White Ribbon Campaign is taking steps toward eliminating such violence, more needs to be done to address this issue. While some measures have been taken on a national level, such as the passing of anti-violence legislation and the creation of shelters for battered women, assault against women still occurs and it is up to individuals to put an end to it. Ways in which we, as college students, can personally combat gender-based violence include increasing awareness of the problem’s severity and promoting violence prevention. We can begin by encouraging respect for all people, regardless of race, gender or other distinguishing characteristics and instilling in our peers that discrimination or violence against anyone is not tolerated. By getting at the root of the problem we can potentially prevent such violence and hopefully eliminate it completely.
Meredith Berger is a columnist for The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at m.berger@cavalierdaily.com.
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