by: Junemy Pantig
It's Time We Kick Ass. The Rape Awareness Defense Workshop during class was not only very informative, but very helpful to our lives. I am very glad that there are self defense workshops for women because we don’t deserve to be abused in any way by anyone. And because of these classes, many lives are saved and crimes become less accomplished. Whenever I go out with friends at clubs or bars, you will always come across a drunk and rude man who wants to approach you. I am a very petite person and it really irks me when they feel that they can take control of you because of you don’t look as “aggressive” due to your size. What they don’t know is that I have a voice and I’m not afraid to use it. Approach me once, I will politely ask you to stop and go away. Approach me again, I will definitely yell at you. No shame on that either. Cathy advised that we should be loud enough to scare off people who try to harass us. She’s right. Having a loud, strong voice definitely throws people off and makes them think twice. The story that I found very moving was in The Vagina Monologues. It was called “Say It.” These untold storied were about “comfort women.” They were women who were forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII. They were either abducted or given a “promise” to have an opportunity to work, when in fact, they didn’t know they were working off their innocent bodies to men. Rape has existed for many years and it’s upsetting to know that it still occurs until this day. Every day women are attacked verbally and/or physically. It breaks my heart knowing that women who were victims of assault, live each day in trauma. These comfort women have built strength, heart, and courage to finally tell these stories and live each day of their lives knowing that it has become part of history in their lives. “What we want: Now soon... Before we’re gone... And our stories leave this world, leave our heads... Japanese government... Say it... Please... We are sorry, Comfort Women... Say it to me... We are sorry to me...” (pg. 165). A few movies & a song that relate well to violence against women: The Joy Luck Club, Boys Don’t Cry, & Love is Blind by: Eve.
Love the title of your post! The Rape Awareness Defense Workshop was very valuable. It makes me want to find a self-defense class so that these moves can become more instinctive. Rape is such a horrific crime; any tools we can add to our arsenal are valuable. I read a poem I found hopeful written by a rape victim. "When that voice in my head keeps saying, You wasting your time no one cares about you. I can't shake that, I've believed that my whole life. I'm just glad God gave me a pen, paper, and the ability to write. Cause when I feel like no one hears me, I just write. "Source: Healing From Rape With Writing, I Just Write, Rape Poem http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/healing-from-rape-with-writing#ixzz1s98Zkdr2
ReplyDeleteLisa Gloff
I totally agree! After the workshop I realized how important speaking up and having a voice is. Being a quiet person, the workshop definitely brought me out of my comfort zone and empowered me. Our voice has so much power. I realize how important it is to know how to protect yourself, especially after reading the statistics found by the Justice Department that estimates one in five women will experience rape or attempted rape during their college years, and that less than five percent of these rapes will be reported. This was a frightening fact to me and should encourage us all to take these workshops and find our voice, it could save our life. You can read more interesting and surprising facts on http://www.now.org/issues/violence/stats.html.
DeleteCouldn't agree more. In today's world it seems that the general public is deterred from the fact that a large number of women deal with sexual assault and on a more extreme basis are sold into sexual slavery. People seem to have the idea that things are better for women now than they were 25, 50 or even 100 years ago which overlooks the fact that a problem still exists. Glad to see that we have these workshops at our school.
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