Be Aware

I think what really struck me from the Meet the Predator article that more people need to know is that most rapes happen between people that know each other. We all have this picture in our head of a woman being attacked by a sketchy older man hiding in the bushes. This is usually not the case though; most victims of sexual assault knew their attacker prior to the attack. The worst part is, is that victims that were sexually assaulted by someone they know are less likely to tell than victims that were attacked by a stranger. The people that get away with raping usually become repeat offenders and walk the streets holding on to a secret no one suspects.

More people need to be aware that the picture in their head of being raped by a sketchy random hiding in the shadows is less common than being raped by someone sitting next to you at a party. I think the best way to get people to listen and be aware is to put it in the media. First, I think shows that jokingly talk about issues such as rape should reevaluate the message they are sending out. If they are touching on these sort of serious issues in a joking manner then they are sending out a message to their viewers that it is OK to rape and attack people. I also think that sites such as Project Unbreakable should be more widely known. Most people won’t come across a site like this unless they are looking for it, and the people that need a wake up call the most probably aren’t looking for it. I think there should be commercials, kind of like the ones against texting and driving, with the different pictures from Project Unbreakable to get more people aware of the issue. If people see these stories on their television maybe they will get the message that rape can happen to anyone by anyone, a stranger or a friend.