“real men dont rape” actually, real men do rape. they do. men rape. it isn’t done by ~fake mythical special brand of evil~ men, it’s done by real men, men who may seem nice, men who you think you can trust, men you know, men who you’re close to. real men do rape. that’s the problem
At Vidcon 2015, we sat down with Kat Blaque , Skittlez, and Lindsey Doe to talk about how sexual violence disproportionately impacts people of color.
Share with us your thoughts on how your race or ethnicity shapes your opinions about sexual violence using #EngageUplift!
Why is Sierra Leone banning pregnant students?
This official ban occurred in April, but we know that the practice had gone on informally for a long time.
Moijueh Kaikai, the minister of social welfare, told us that he could not have pregnant girls with normal girls because it’ll encourage other girls in the class to get pregnant. He said, “During the Ebola outbreak children were given clear instructions: Do not touch … These girls could not even comply with basic rules and there must be consequences for their actions.”
This language is deeply concerning. There is among many the idea that the girls have “chosen” pregnancy and should be punished as a result. But many of these girls are either victims of sexual violence or they didn’t have the information or the health services to avoid early pregnancy. And even if they did choose to become pregnant, they should not have the right for an education taken away from them.
Can these girls go back to school once they’ve had the baby?
Because they don’t have the support and finances to have child care, the likelihood of their returning to school after giving birth is very, very slim.
Girls talked to us about their desire to contribute to their country and how they wanted to be nurses, doctors and lawyers, and would love to go to school if given the chance to do so. In particular one girl said how humiliated she felt when she found out she was pregnant and her school bag and books were given to her younger sister.
Pregnant girls are also banned from taking national exams coming up this month, right?
Yes. These two sets of exams on Nov. 23 are crucial. One set determines who can go on to senior high school. And the other set is for graduating seniors, in rough American terms similar to a high school diploma.
Some girls in desperation inevitably are going to try to hide their pregnancy in order to be able to sit these crucial exams. In our interviews, we heard that girls were strapping their stomachs down in order to pass for nonpregnant in order to be able to sit the exams.
A fraternity at the University of California, San Diego, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, has allegedly asked its pledges to acquire topless selfies—pictures of women’s breasts with the fraternity’s name scrawled across them—as part of their rush week duties.
The story went viral after UCSD sophomore Rachel Friedman posted a screenshot of a message she received from a SAE pledge soliciting pictures of her breasts. “Rachel!!!” reads the text. “I need your help. Lol funny story, so I’m in a frat now and we have to get ‘rush boobs.’ If you or any of your friends can help me out I would really appreciate it. I don’t need faces I just need topless pics with ‘RUSH SAE’ written on their chests.” But instead of immediately whipping out her cell phone and a sharpie, Friedman posted the text on Facebook—as well as sending it to several news outlets.
In an interview with NBC, Friedman argued that the request was emblematic of the pervasive “rape culture” in Greek life—and she’s right. There is a direct relationship between these types of activities and a culture that normalizes sexual assault and violence against women. And while rape culture is a larger cultural issue, it is particularly pernicious in fraternities. In a 2007 study, researchers John Foubert, Jerry Tatum, and J.T. Newberry found that members of frats are three times as likely to commit rape than other men on college campuses. Theirs is not the only study to come to this conclusion.
Rep. Trent Franks says the number of pregnancies from rape is “very low,” as if that’s a valid reason to deny survivors access to health care?! We’re beyond outraged! We need you to REBLOG and TAKE ACTION.
Tell the House leadership not to bring Trent Franks’ cruel 20-week abortion ban up for a vote –> http://nar.al/ox
So offensive. –> http://nar.al/ol
