Ending the cycle of rape and generating a constructive global conversation about the misconstrued cycle of rape culture has been an issue that our society has wrestled with and has been trying to bring to the forefront for years. This “culture” exists because of the misunderstanding and incorrect teachings our society has placed on males, females, transgenders, bisexuals, lesbians/gays and other nonconforming identifiers.
A group of motivated women on DePauw’s campus created an organization to promote sexual assault awareness, known now as Code T.E.A.L (Talk, Educate, Advocate and Listen.) The philosophy behind Code T.E.A.L. is to provide a secure space to talk to others who are interested in learning more about sexual assault, educate those who want to know more, advocate for those who have been affected by sexual assault and listen to those who actively want to be involved on campus.
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness month and DePauw is recognizing Code T.E.A.L by naming this week, April 11-15, Code T.E.A.L. week. During this week, the organization will be hosting various opportunities for faculty and students ranging from speakers, activities and films to highlight and encourage the discussion of sexual assault awareness for all individuals within the community.
Last night, students and faculty gathered in Meharry Hall in East College to listen and learn from speaker and educator of sexual assault prevention, Keith Edwards, in his talk “Ending Rape: Addressing the Roots of Sexual Assault Prevention.”
The presentation began with a trigger warning that provided a Sexual Assault Survivor Advocate (SASA) phone number and Public Safety support for anyone and everyone who is in need.
Edwards was welcomed on stage by two leaders of Code T.E.A.L and quickly broke down the tension of the crowd with genuine icebreakers, questions and a sincere desire to reach those sitting in the audience before him. A powerpoint was positioned in the middle of the stage, providing the audience with a visual guidance to his voice.
“I want to talk with you all about sexual violence as a men’s issue,” Edwards stated as the main point of his presentation.
He explained that, as a society, we are “reactive, and not proactive,” to sexual violence. He went on to say that people, friends, media, literature and various institutes teach the public that “sexual violence is a women's issue.” Edwards thanked the amount of work that has been done and progress that has been made by individual females in the past.
He counteracted this point, however, by giving examples of ways that society trains females to think.
“Don't walk alone at night, don't drink too much, don't wear that,” he said. Edwards said that, by engaging with this inappropriate reactive technique, people, specifically women, internalize sexual assault and blame themselves.
However, Edwards shifted the focus and proposed that a “proactive approach means prevention,” and does not enforce direct blame on the victims. He said that men need to “understand the role in ending rape,” and actively work toward that goal.
According to Edwards, many college men who accepted ownership in engaging in activity that was legally qualified as rape did not believe that they committed an illegal act: “84 percent of [these men] did not believe their actions to be illegal,” he said.
Edwards went on to say that many people do not know what rape is because society promotes a fabricated rape culture based on the ongoing gender-specific social construction of norms and stereotypes.
“The perpetrators of sexual assault are overwhelmingly men,” he said, adding that “one in four college women are raped or attempt at rape.”
Edwards ended his talk with the hope that his talk might spark a campus discussion about the topic of sexual assault and sexual violence.
“I’m not here to talk to you. ...I’m here to talk to all the people you're going to talk to,” he said. “Whether you know it or not, sexual violence affects everyone in this room.” After a few minutes of pause, he ended with a simple yet powerful message: “Any one of us could be victims of sexual assault.”