Laci Green

Rape culture is a culture in which sexual violence is common, considered normal, and thusly tolerated and excused at both the interpersonal and institutional level.  At schools, it can be seen in the popularity of slut shaming, in accepting predatory behaviors around sexuality (such as getting someone drunk to try to have sex with them), in blaming the victim when sexual violence happens (“well, how drunk were you?”), or the school itself not taking a proactive role to prevent and address sexual assault within the student body.

Because we are the future and it’s ours to create!  It is critical that young people be informed so that we can prevent sexual assault and have healthier, happier attitudes and experiences when it comes to sexuality.

They can get involved at their school to raise awareness, they can talk about these issues on social media, and men specifically can engage other men to reject toxic expressions of masculinity in their social circle.

If someone is using the internet to persistently harass you or making threats, block them and report the behavior to the social media platform using their report or flagging feature. Then, reach out to relevant authorities to talk about it (for instance, a teacher if it’s someone at school). Don’t engage with the perpetrator, don’t try to deal with harassment alone, and don’t let the people you reach out to dismiss the issue as “not real” because it’s online. This is ignorant and just excuses bad behavior! Cyberbullying and harassment are never okay. Only by speaking up about it can we hope to build more awareness of this issue.

I would like to see communities, including parents and schools, be proactive about sexual assault prevention and education at an earlier age. A basic conversation about consent starts in childhood.