April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and it’s time to capitalize on the popularity of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements to call for substantial change.

These movements have drawn much-needed attention to the pervasiveness of sexual harassment and abuse, and more people are recognizing sexual misconduct is a social justice issue affecting everyone — not just women. The National Sexual Violence Resource Center named this month’s theme “Embrace Your Voice!” This theme emphasizes the importance of listening to others and taking personal accountability, which requires diversifying the voices that are privileged in public debate of sexual assault.

“For folks who aren’t constantly having the conversation or thinking about the issues, it’s becoming more apparent,” said Tiffany Brec, coordinator of Vera House’s Campus Project. “People are more interested and willing to engage in the conversation, so it’s prime opportunity to do some education and prevention work.”

Sexaul assault cases involving local, low-income and otherwise marginalized individuals are often glossed over in favor of cases involving celebrities, politicians or other public figures. Yet, anywhere from 25 to 85 percent of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment in the workplace, according to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And this number is even higher among service and low-wage industries.

LGBTQ individuals also experience sexual assault at higher rates than their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, according to the Center for Disease Control. LGBTQ college students are also more susceptible to sexual or domestic violence, while transgender people of color are 2.8 times more likely to experience some form of violence via phone or internet, according to a 2017 report by the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. To combat these discrepancies, it’s vital to create inclusive campus programming.

“We have to have a balance between acknowledging the reality of the issue and the data around how the majority of victims and perpetrators identify,” Brec said. “It’s extremely important to talk about populations of people that tend to be more vulnerable.”

This is why it’s especially important that Sexual Assault Awareness Month events raise public awareness while highlighting the experiences of populations found to be more susceptible to sexual violence.

Syracuse University is making strides to raise awareness for the campus community. In February, the university participated in the 24th Annual Vera House White Ribbon Campaign. The month-long campaign encourages supporters to wear a white ribbon or wristband to raise awareness for sexual assault and domestic violence. Similarly, SU community members came together to hear survivors’ stories and collectively speak out against sexual, domestic and interpersonal violence of any kind during the annual Take Back the Night event on Wednesday.

Throughout April, SU and community partners have organized Sexual Assault Awareness Month events to raise awareness and engage in outreach for survivors. Organized by the Office of Health Promotion, these events include artistic performances, panel discussions and fundraisers for national campaigns like It’s On Us.

Attending such events, listening to survivors’ stories and adding your voice to the conversations surrounding sexual assault are meaningful ways to observe Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It’s also important that we address the challenges surrounding sexual assault culture by directly engaging with those who criticize or stand in opposition of it.

“For the folks who don’t quite understand what the big deal is, or ask, ‘Does this mean men and women can never be alone in the workplace?,’ this allows us to turn those questions into teachable moments and explore the issues a bit deeper,” Brec said.

Many critics of the #MeToo movement have equated a zero tolerance for sexual misconduct with intolerance or oversensitivity. In honoring survivors’ stories, we should strive to dismantle these arguments and others that attempt to discredit them or minimize the sexual assault epidemic.

We should approach Sexual Assault Awareness Month with the same empathy and resistance that has driven the #MeToo movement and inspired victims and survivors to share their stories. We should also engage in inclusive and diverse conversations that address the personal and social effects of sexual assault.

These are the conversations that have always characterized Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Yet this year, in the wake of increased awareness surrounding sexual assault and harassment across all industries and sectors of society, participation in Sexual Assault Awareness Month  Calls for greater policy change and action.

Time’s up for silencing survivors, regardless of their background.

C.C. Hendricks is a doctoral candidate in composition and cultural rhetoric. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at crhen100@syr.edu.

Published on April 1, 2018 at 10:09 pm