During a time when social media, cell phones and personal interactions place a microphone in every person’s hand, those that have been oppressed are still struggling to find their voices.
Although one in five women is sexually assaulted in her college years, more than 80 percent of the victims stay silent, according to President Barack Obama’s “It’s On Us” campaign.
Likewise, men fall victim to nearly 3 million physical assaults annually, and most witnesses never report these incidents.
Although we have the power to speak up and drive change on these issues, the topics are still considered too taboo or too harsh to bring up in conversation with others.
Rape, hate language, abuse – these subjects may be uncomfortable to discuss, but they are all too real nightmares for millions worldwide.
This week’s Tunnel of Oppression raised awareness of issues in today’s society including sexual assault, racial discrimination, domestic violence and human trafficking. Seeing derogatory names smeared across walls and hearing a haunting 911 phone call from a six-year-old child watching her father beat her mother and siblings, visitors were left speechless.
Often, we may be lured in to thoughts of, “That could never happen to me,” or, “I don’t know anyone that has been victimized.” But this kind of thinking is ignorant, and it only detracts from combating these issues.
The fact is, Bradley saw reports of four on-campus forcible sex offenses, one hate crime and 11 on-campus domestic violence issues in 2013 according to the 2013-2014 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report.
But what are the chances that these reported incidences represent all occurrences of these forms of oppression? It’s a safe bet that these numbers give only a glimpse of what has really happened so close to home.
Sadly, victims of these unfair and cruel actions often hide because of feelings of fear and shame. Their voices are muted by a sense of trepidation about their community’s reaction and the words to speak up can be lost in the buzz from other issues.
But as this week’s event showed in the Tunnel of Hope, we can decrease this stigma and help victims find their voices.
Raising awareness, reporting incidences and reaching out to those who are oppressed can create a wave of activism that supports victims and helps them step up to their microphones.
Sharing a story of oppression can help a victim shed that mantle of shame. It can help find an offender or punish a perpetrator. It could even save another person from becoming a victim.
Take hold of that microphone.
End the silence.
