There is no denying that sexual assault has, unfortunately, always been an issue in the United States and in the world. In recent months, however, there has been a call for action nationwide as this issue has really come to the surface and has gained a huge amount of attention. Cases continue to arise exposing the disgusting actions of many powerful men against women or men in more vulnerable positions. There have been allegations against many in Hollywood, sports, Congress and even in the executive office. This new sense of awareness has created massive movements such as #MeToo and #Time’sUp that work to eliminate sexual assault in the workplace. While these movements are certainly important, impressive and unbelievably necessary, they fail to include all demographics of victims of sexual assault. Sexual assault is not as distant of an issue as many believe and, in fact, many in our community and even our school have faced sexual assault as well.

A shocking statistic from a survey conducted last academic year of Yorktown’s 10th and 12th graders found that 3% of tenth graders and 5% of twelfth graders reported they were forced into having sexual intercourse. While these numbers may seem small, 5% of the senior class equates to roughly 22 students, the size of an average class– so, you could fill a classroom with seniors who had been raped. One also must keep in mind that these numbers are not representative of our entire school population. If everyone had been surveyed, and if everyone had come forward, these numbers would likely skyrocket (more statistics from the survey can be found at the end of this article).

The numbers are shocking and terrifying and in the fall, I became overwhelmed by the feeling that something must be done about it. In our school system, we have been taught how to have “safe” sex but, they fail to teach us how to have consensual, respectful sex and relationships. This lack of proper education leads to a misunderstanding of what is right and what is wrong in a sexual situation. It leads to claims of “blurred lines,” rather than acknowledgment of what the situation really was: sexual assault or even rape. It also increases the number of survivors who deny the truth of what happened to them due to the fact that they simply do not realize or are afraid to admit the scary reality of their experience. The idea of sexual assault in the workplace and even college is not a new one. Many campaigns have been created to raise awareness and take a stand. What we must understand is that these issues arise much earlier and ignoring their existence in high school and middle school allows them to continue through later years of one’s life. The issue must be stopped at its roots and the way to attack it is through an increase in education.

For the past few months, Colleen Dugan, Michael Lowen, Harrison Gardner and I have been working closely with Principal Bridget Loft and the administration to coordinate assemblies in hopes of reaching the following goals: to give students and faculty a clear understanding of what sexual assault is and what consent is and is not, the short- and long-term physical and mental effects sexual assault can have on survivors, and most importantly, the immense amount of value in oneself and others that should never be taken for granted.

To do this, we have organized two presentations. Each will take place during 3rd period in the auditorium with an optional talkback during Patriot Period. On Wednesday, March 21, seniors will receive a talk from Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment (PAVE) representative Delaney Henderson who will be sharing her experience with sexual assault when she was in high school. After, there will be a talk from Matt Gummersbach and Dalton Ruh, members of 1in4 an organization that, among other things, works to change the shocking statistic that one in four women will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime. On Thursday, March 22, juniors will receive the full 45-minute presentation from PAVE.

Sexual assault has become way too common, and therefore it is often neglected. Abusing someone’s body should never become the norm and should certainly never be pushed aside as if it is okay, because it is not okay and it needs to stop. It is absolutely necessary that education and awareness on sexual assault be increased. If we fail to do this, we are failing to reach our school motto of “respecting others community and self.”  By ignoring and therefore condoning sexual assault, we are not respecting anyone.

30% (1 in 3) of tenth graders and 37% (roughly 2 in 5) of 12th graders reported that another student made an unwelcome sexual comment, joke or gesture on school property in the past twelve months

10% (1 in 10) of tenth graders and 19% (2 in 5) of 12th graders reported someone made unwanted sexual contact. Of those percentages, 33% (1 in 3) of tenth graders and 38% (2 in 5) of twelfth graders reported this happening at the home of a friend, 33% (1 in 3) of tenth graders and 19% (2 in 5) of twelfth graders reported this happening during school hours.