Rape: Sex Without Consent

Opinion
By Katie Deem
"I want to remind us that we have won what we now have because we, or others before us, struggled for it. It was not given to us. We had to be responded to because we publicly declared that women could not continue to be beaten...." Susan Schecter, coauthor of When Love Goes Wrong: What to Do When You Can't Do Anything Right (1993) and Women and Male Violence: The Visions and Struggles of the Battered Women’s Movement (1982). The struggle Schecter speaks of continues in West Virginia.

The West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services (FRIS), established in 1982, informs the public about sexual assault and harassment, offers support for victims of these acts and statewide training on sexual violence and related issues. They also collect data on West Virginia women.

FRIS defines sexual assault as “rape and any other unwanted sexual contact.” This definition implies that any unwanted sexual contact is assault—no matter how “harmless” the offender believes the act is or how momentary the violation may be. A woman deserves to be free from unwanted advances.

Rape is “sex without consent.” FRIS also points out that no one “asks” or “deserves” to be raped or sexually assaulted. The victim’s appearance and state of mind have little to do with the violation. Whether the victim was taking drugs or drinking when the violation occurred bears little importance. The problem is in the mind of the perpetrator, not the state of mind or body of the victim.

Women can take some responsibility for their safety, but they cannot take responsibility for the actions of the aggressor. We must remember that sexual assault and rape are crimes of force and power. Women can only do so much to protect themselves. Women can be aware of who is around them, and require that people be respectful of their bodies, their space and their gender.

The fact that women cannot walk on the street without being catcalled or harassed, raped or violated is proof that our society has failed women—that our culture has failed to value and respect our gender. We should not need to be protected. When women cannot walk alone in the evening or at night, something in the minds of aggressive men must change.

However, our communities have made improvements. West Virginia provides many resources for women to escape domestic violence. Men also can take the steps to educate themselves on the experiences of women. The West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services and the West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (www.wvcadv.org) offer such services and information.

FRIS “receives Preventive Health Services Block Grant funds through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources to distribute to…nine centers [located in West Virginia] for services [to help women and educate men].” Though no rape or domestic-violence center exists in the Parkersburg area, other centers nearby can offer advice and information over the phone. These centers are HOPE, Inc. “a task force on domestic violence,” located in Fairmont; the Rape and Domestic Violence Information Center, Inc., in Morgantown; and the Rape Education Advocacy Counseling and Healing (REACH) Program in Charleston. The contact information for these centers can be found on http://www.fris.org.