Rape is an unfortunate problem that happens all over the world. It is an awful thing that influences how a person lives.
Growing up, I have been taught never to go outside at night by myself because of the risk that I could be attacked or raped by a wandering stranger.
I am pretty sure most people could remember the “stranger danger” talk. In middle school, my sex ed class talked about rape.
Several years later, in my first year of college, all of the first-years went to see the No Zebras play to talk about why rape or sexual assault is never to be taken lightly. Women aren’t the only gender that is affected by rape, so are men.
Despite all this education about rape, there are some people who will never learn and will continue to rape people and knowingly destroy their lives. But why exactly is rape bad? How does it affect the victim?
Rape very much affects the victim psychologically. One of these effects can be Post-Traumatic Stress. According to the National Women’s study, about one in every three rape victims develops PTS.
According to PTSD.org, a study found that for the next two weeks following the rape, 94 out of 100 women reported having those symptoms. PTS is a variety of symptoms a person exhibits after a traumatic event.
This includes repeated thoughts of the assault, trying to avoid the thoughts,nightmares, feelings and situations that remind them of that event, negative changes in their thoughts and feelings and increased restlessness.
For most of these people, rape will continue to affect them for the rest of their lives. I personally have met a man who was a victim of rape. The incident occurred when he was in grade school.
Afterward, he was afraid of sexual intimacy, didn’t tell anyone about the rape for several years, and started developing drug problems. He said this was the worst thing that has happened to him and, through my research, I can definitely see why.
Cases in which males are raped, according to aftersilence.org, are often not reported. According to aftersilence.org, one in six males have been raped before the age of 18. In the United States, one in ten males have been raped throughout their lifetimes.
With these statistics, it is very unsettling to know that men are less likely to report being raped than women. They often feel ashamed because they often feel that they were dominated and overpowered. This feeling of shame is why they often avoid talking about it or seeking professional help. For them they feel demasculinized and can even question their sexual identity whether they are gay, straight or bisexual. If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you are not alone. There are many resources that are available.
These including hotlines that you can go to for support, such as RAINN (Rape Abuse and Incest National Network) and voicefortheinnocent.org.
There are also many support groups and clinics that specialize in helping out rape and sexual assault victims including one in Keene called MCVP: Crisis & Prevention Center.
There are also plenty of places on-campus that you can go to including the Counseling Center, Center for Health and Wellness, and Campus Safety.
Katherine Glosser can be contacted at kglosser@kscequinox.com
