One Billion…sounds like a pretty huge number, right? It doesn’t seem all that much when you consider that, sometime in 2012, the world’s population exceeded 7 billion. Still, if we were to get 1 out of every 7 people on the planet to stand up, take action and stop the greatest sickness our society has, we could change the entire 7 billion.
This is where I get personal. I have, within the realm of my closest people, an overwhelming amount of stories related to rape, child sexual abuse and assault. I have been told stories of wife-rape (it happens, folks…sex isn’t your right, even after you’ve had a honeymoon…), domestic abuse and just tragic life ruinings at the hands of people who were trusted. And I’m not just talking about women and girls here, I’m talking about men too. Men and boys CAN be raped, and ARE. It happens.
I’ve been disturbed recently, as more and more people have come forward to me on a personal level and told me their stories. Why are our histories so tangled up in pain? Why is it that, so many men and women alike, have their lives intertwined with the pain of innocence lost? This is not about some strange, unknown person who is doing this. This is about our lives. This is not some unknown, un-named force. It has insidiously become part of our society, and part of our life stories.
64,514 Rapes were reported in South Africa last year, according to police statistics for 2011/12. These are not accurate figures though, as many, many cases of rape and assault go unreported.
I’m standing up V-Day. I want you to join us as we do. I want you to stand up too, for you, your brother, your sister, your aunt, your best friend. I’m not writing this to be cool, or to be part of some campaign. I’m writing it for me, my family, my friends. I’m writing it for every man, woman, girl and boy who’ve been brave enough to say it out loud. Jes did, and she’s changing the world of survivors, one piece at a time. There are many other rape and abuse support services out there, but they lack financial support. That is an atrocity in our country. It’s an atrocity in any country.
You can actually the world, you know, one little piece at a time. Abuse is not something we can ignore any longer. If someone has the courage to tell you about their story, listen. Help. Don’t be silent anymore, my friends.
If Valentine’s Day is a day of love, love someone enough to listen.
This is something we can overcome together.
Resources that can help: