The Vista Notre Dame Academy *3535 W. Sylvania Ave. *Toledo, OH 43623 *Vol. 66 Issue 5 *April 19, 2016
Women Find H.O.P.E. to End Sexual Violence Ellen Buerk
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. For many, it is only too true as 1 in 3 women will experience physical or sexual assault. This global statistic, provided by the World Health Organization (WHO), evidences a shocking criminal trend that has fostered a culture of rape and violence. The United Nations defines violence against women as “any act of genderbased violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.” This broad description displays how varied and widespread violence against women has become. In 1993, the UN General Assembly, in an attempt to address this pandemic, signed the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women . More than 20 years later, the issues are bigger than ever. Nearly 250 million women are married before the age of 15, 120 million girls, roughly 1 in 10, have experienced forced intercourse, and 200 million women have undergone female genital mutilation. Despite its promise, this UN declaration has failed to solve this widespread, culturally-reinforced problem. “Preventing rape is possible,” Ms. Deborah Stoll, director at the H.O.P.E. Rape Crisis Center said. “It takes a cultural shift. We must stop blaming victims, stop excusing criminal behavior, and increase bystander intervention. It is a slow process.” Looking specifically at the United States, violence still remains prevalent. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest Network, known more commonly as RAINN, every 107 seconds, an American
In the coming months, a Take Back the Night event will be held in the Toledo area for those seeking to participate in an organization that promotes an end to violence against women. Information about the event is posted at the Sylvania location of the bookstore People Called Women.
is assaulted. This amounts to roughly 293,000 victims of sexual assault annually. Despite such high rates of sexuallymotivated violence, 98% of rapists will never spend a day in jail or prison. As a point of perspective, out of every 100 rapes, 32 are reported, 7 lead to arrests, 3 are referred to prosecutors, 2 lead to a felony conviction, and 2 will go to prison. Despite what is perpetuated by mainstream crime dramas, 4 out of 5 of these assaults are committed by someone known to the victim. According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, every 9 seconds a woman in the U.S. is assaulted or beaten. Many victims do not acknowledge these acts as an assault or a rape,” Ms. Stoll said. “Victims may excuse or accept sexual assault. They may see it as part of a relationship or a ‘marital duty’.” Collaborative recognition of this widespread violation of human rights is the first step towards exacting change. Located in Toledo, the YWCA Northwest Ohio has a branch called the HOPE Center Rape Crisis program, which seeks to end rape culture and promote peace.
“The HOPE Center does community education programming whenever possible and seeks to spread its message. We provide ‘victim services’,” Ms. Stoll said. Founded in 1972, the rape crisis movement in Toledo was initially formed as an independent volunteer group that sought to provide services to women who had been assaulted. In 1989, the need for expansion led to the inclusion of all of northwest Ohio and parts of Michigan. According to their website, “The YWCA HOPE Center offers 24-hour, 7 day crisis line availability for victims of sexual assault, support groups, and scheduled appointments.” They also offer housing, financial aid, legal advocacy, hospital accompaniment, and help with state compensation claims. They now serve over 6,000 people every year. “Statistics show you have a 1 in 92 chance of being a victim of a violent crime in Toledo, which is about 3 times higher than the rate for the state of Ohio,” Ms. Stoll said. “In the United States, women have a 1 in 4 chance of being sexually assaulted. For men, the rate is 1 in 6.” Beyond the work the HOPE Center seeks to achieve, many believe there needs to be a change in rape education. “The ultimate cure to rape culture is teaching a man not to rape instead of teaching me to not get raped,” senior Kristin Burmeister said. “Tell boys to repeat a woman when she says no. Don’t objectify women and make them seem like their only purpose is to serve your needs.” If you are a victim of sexual assault or if you know of someone who has been, contact the YWCA HOPE Center Rape Crisis Hotline at (419) 241-7273 or tollfree at (866) 557-7273. Someone will be available 24 hours, 7 days a week, offering free, confidential help.
In This Issue: Supreme Court Controversy Page 2
Photo Contest Winners Page 6
Appreciate NDA Clubs Page 5