I
downloaded TapShield the other night on my bus ride home from campus.
The last two nights that I’ve been on campus, I’ve gripped a pocket knife in my hands, despite walking on a main road alongside many cars filled with people who could come to my aid in the event of an attack.
I’m not alone in these actions, either. This is the climate for women on campus right now.Whenever sexual assault comes into conversation, the focus is on women.
Even with the gender-neutral advice offered in regards to the recent string of assaults by UF officials and police representatives, the message is still clear — the attacker is targeting women, so women are the ones who must be concerned.
As such, there are many expectations for the average Gator girl now. Too much focus is put on what female students should be doing to protect themselves and not, well, how to actually stop the attacks.
So, ladies, take a break. I’m turning the tables and telling everyone what to do in order to make assault less common.
To UF: Don’t tell women not to walk at night. Instead, install more lights on campus. Even the best-lit areas of campus are dim at night, which is the perfect environment for an attacker to make his move in.
Don’t tell women to avoid scandalous clothing. Stop thinking of my short dress as an invitation to something I did not consent to or as a signal that I am sexually available.
Don’t tell women that it is their responsibility to prevent their own rape. Men, make your intolerance of assault so loud and apparent that your friends and peers feel unsafe contemplating violence against women. Voice your support of women so often that someone else would find it inconceivable to even think of assault in your presence.
It’s not enough to simply offer to walk a girl home at night if you turn around and laugh at a rape “joke” the next day. Allowing comments like “We totally raped Eastern Michigan on Saturday!” or “I just raped my chemistry exam” trivializes rape and makes possible attackers think their actions are OK and that their peers don’t object.
Instead, call people out. Don’t be a bystander in today’s rape culture, and don’t be wishy-washy. Be firm in your disapproval and actively work to make women feel safe.
Don’t tell women to be constantly aware of their surroundings. Don’t tell them to avoid wearing headphones or talking on the phone. Instead, gentlemen, make your presence abundantly clear. I have a male friend who told me that he’s made it a priority in the past few days to cross the street and walk on the opposite side so he doesn’t make a girl apprehensive by walking behind her.
If you are walking behind a female, make noise — jangle your keys, clear your throat — so that you don’t sneak up on someone and startle her. Do anything you can to alert women of your presence as early as possible so they can register you and do whatever they need to feel safe.
Don’t continue to let sexual violence happen without educating people. UF needs to offer comprehensive sex education. The mandatory alcohol education course all students take before freshman year? Make everyone take one regarding healthy sexual practices and consent, as well.
These assaults and ones like them will continue until all of us, not just women, make a change. It isn’t enough to wear a longer skirt and to carry pepper spray.
Men, as well as school officials, need to shoulder some responsibility as well. Sitting idly by while their friends, significant others and fellow Gators live in fear is not enough.
Robyn Smith is a UF journalism junior. Her columns appear on Fridays.
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 9/12/2014 under the headline "Prevention not enough to stop assaults"]
