Til It Happens To You

          So I know I'm a little late, but April is the S.A.A.M. a.k.a. Sexual Assault Awareness Month. And I want to talk a little bit of my own personal experience also to inform about this serious social issue. Sexual Assault: "A crime of power and control. The term sexual assault refers to sexual contact or behavior that occurs without explicit consent of the victim. Some forms of sexual assault include: Penetration of the victim's body, also known as rape. Attempted rape."

          I was not raped, but I was not just "bullied". Yet, I much rather remember it as just being bullied. I was about eleven years old, it was only six years ago, and yet I can barely remember it. See, my life before coming to Canada was a living hell, and I really can't remember much of them except the big events. Maybe I blocked them out of my memory on purpose, or maybe I just have really bad memory...

          I'm not sure if I want to write about what happened just yet, or ever. But the important thing is for everyone to understand that, it's real. It happens. Of course, fortunately, mine didn't go anything above just that, but many do actually get seriously injured, raped, assaulted...etc. Some people don't understand why people can be triggered, some people feel attacked when people say that they're offended or triggered. But this is a serious issue, it's a reality that you can never be able to understand unless you've been through it. I am not at a place where I can understand fully either, that's why I am ally. I want to be able to help spread awareness. 

          Statistics show that 1 in 4 women in North America will be sexually assaulted during their lifetime. People don't see why feminism is important, people still think that they're just angry. Well, I say that they have the right to be angry. Women are still suffering, and we need to acknowledge that. Yes, men are victims too, but why compare both ? Why bring up men when we're trying to educate you about women's suffering ? Because men are threatened, and we can never stand together with both sexes if the men don't let go of that pride.

          You will never understand, til it happens to you. 

          But what you can do, is to respect and be educated. Be an ally.