Tag: survivor

It’s on Us to End It

Hello! If you all are visiting my site from Craig and Katy’s project, the Art of Survival, thank you for taking an interest in ending sexual assault. If you have not already, do check out their project about sexual assault during the month of April. We all want the same thing: to bring awareness to sexual assault.

Did you know April is Sexual Assault Awareness month? I didn’t either until Craig reached out to me about sharing my story on the Art of Survival project. In conjunction with Sexual Assault Awareness month, I have committed to 30 days of writing about sexual assault. I know this is going to be particularly emotional for me at times, but if I’m quiet, he wins, and the cycle continues with new victims like me.

Things don’t change themselves. They need people to change them.

Stigma. Acceptance. Blame. Consent. Intervention. Power. Diminish. Isolate.

These all require people. It’s on us to change things for the better, not just for ourselves, but for the potential victims. Survivors of sexual assault aren’t just survivors, they’re your friends, neighbors, classmates, and maybe even your family.

Sexual assault can happen to anyone regardless of gender, sexual identity, age, or ethnicity. Sexual assault isn’t done by the people you don’t know, but rather the people you do. We need to break the myths of sexual assault. If not for you, for someone you love.

Check out It’s on Us to learn more about sexual assault and to pledge to do what you can to stand up against sexual assault.

If you are a survivor, please check out the resources found at notalone.gov.

 

Morals Adrift

As an adult, one comes to recognize events that happen, and even though they are not desirable, moral, etc. they happen. They just do. I recognize these atrocities, injustices, and moral dilemmas of others, but sometimes I just do not understand them.  Do what is right. Just do.

This morning on NPR I heard a story about passengers who were bird watching aboard a Carnival cruise ship observing a fisherman aboard a small vessel without a motor waving a piece of clothing – any normal person would think they are in distress.  The birdwatchers did and alerted the crew.  The crew observed this and told the captain of the ship.  The cruise ship did nothing to help the stranded fisherman.

Once back home, one birdwatcher followed up on the incident and was fed a story by customer service.

Later a story came out in the news about the fishermen.  Three men were alive the day they saw the cruise ship. They had already been drifting for 14 days at that point. One died that night.  The other 5 days later.  Only 1 man was alive when help finally came another 14 days after the cruise ship spotted them.

This stuff happens. I do not understand why it does. How could someone make a call to not go help? It’s even maritime law. Sad it has to be, as people should go by compassion.