According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 3 women worldwide will experience physical or sexual abuse in their lifetime. According to UNICEF, nearly 1 in 4 adolescent girls ages 15-19 experience physical violence and approximately 120 million girls under the age of 20 worldwide have experienced rape or other forms of sexual assault.
To stop the persistence of rape culture, its critical that ALL of us call out and correct rape myths when we hear them – whether they are spoken in real life, online, by friends, colleagues, or family members.
For example, these three myths are not only factually inaccurate, but can be especially harmful for survivors on their path to healing from violence:
- "Women are to blame for sexual assault because of the way they dress or if they are intoxicated"
- "It is not rape if someone changes their mind during the middle of sex."
- "Rape usually involves a stranger. "
It's our shared responsibility to correct these myths with the facts:
- No one ever asks to be violated, abused, injured, or humiliated regardless of the way they dress or consume alcohol. Forcing someone to engage in non-consensual sexual activity is sexual assault, regardless of the way that person dresses or acts.
- Consent CAN be reversed or taken away at any time
- Consent CANNOT be given if you are underage, intoxicated or incapacitated by drugs or alcohol, or asleep or unconscious
- Most sexual assaults and rapes are committed by someone the victim knows.
No Means No Worldwide (NMNW) is an international sexual violence prevention organization whose mission is to end sexual and gender-based violence against women and children globally. Add your name to this pledge to call out and correct rape myths when you hear them and support NMNW's efforts to end sexual violence!
