“What do you do on a daily basis to avoid rape, sexual assault, or harassment?” Admittedly, this is not a question most of us consider, but that is exactly why filmmakers of Project Unspoken decided to ask participants to respond to in this video.
A brainchild of Emory University’s Office of Health Promotions Respect Program summer internship program, Project Unspoken was launched in May 2012 to help break the silence on sexual assault, rape, and relationship violence. Stark statistics featured in the video show how important it is to give voice to the conversation.
Did you know that only 3% of rapists ever serve a day in jail? Maybe this is because at least 54% of rapes and sexual assaults go unreported. Survivors fear they won’t be taken seriously, and if they are, they fear the stigma that comes with revealing their experience.
Beyond awareness, creating a cultural attitude change is essential.
One of the ways that CAASE is working toward this goal is through our work with young men in high school discussing gender-based violence in the sex trade. In one exercise, we ask young men to make a list of words to describe a man who has a lot of sex. Inevitably, they come up with a list of almost entirely positive words. Then, they’re asked to do the same for women, and the list is always pejorative and long. These moments help young men recognize that their own words can help end or stop perpetuating gender-based violence.
Kudos to Project Unspoken for this tremendous video. Learn more about our prevention education program here.
This post was written by Roxy Kozyckyj, CAASE's prevention intern.
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