April is Sexual Assault Awareness & Prevention Month.
That is what we talk about in this episode, special appearance to Anju’s upstairs neighbor who stomped around during this recording (which was around midnight on a Saturday night).
Warning we do speak rather graphically than normal about a sensitive subject for an extended period of time. We also tried to point out where we could that victims and survivors can be anyone, but a lot of it ended up coming from a CIS hetero-normative perspective. We absolutely understand that sexual assault victims are varied and do not dismiss their experiences.
We recite some facts from RAINN.ORG:
Every 98 seconds an American is sexually assaulted
1 out of 6 American women (1 in 33 American men) have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime
Every 8 minutes that victim is a child
From 2009 – 2013 CPS agencies substantiated or found strong evidence that 63,000 children per YEAR are victims of sexual abuse
Only 6 out of 1,000 perpetrators end up in Prison
80,600 inmates are sexually assaulted or raped
RAAIN (Rape, Abuse, Incest National News Network) is the largest anti-sexual violence organization and has helped 2.4 million people since 1994.
If you need to call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE or online.rainn.org
We talk about rape culture in America vs. rape culture in India
We move on to talk about the modern chastity belt, the AR Wear “anti-rape” underwear.
Then discuss the difference in sexual harassment in the corporate workplace when a woman vs. a man is the accused with Miki Agarwal and Bill O’Reilly. We make mention of a potential investigation into Fox News by the SEC to determine whether the payouts made to women for allegations against Roger Ailes and Bill O’Reilly, and you can find that information here.
Finally, on the lightest note you can get on an episode about Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention, we talk about some good news in the battle to better advocate for survivors and victims: Samantha Bee’s coverage on the Rape Kit Backlog Legislation that was passed in Georgia, a la school house rock.
We talk about some Federal legislation
Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program
Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting Act of 2013 (SAFER Act)
Status of Rape Kite Backlog by State as well as any state wide reform: http://www.endthebacklog.org/backlog/where-backlog-exists-and-whats-happening-end-it
And strides at the grassroot levels that saw passage of the Survivor’s Bill of Rights in 2016 in the US House of Representatives.
Sample Provisions of a Survivor’s Bill of Rights include:
- The right to be treated with fairness, dignity, and respect;
- The right to be informed;
- The right to be heard and participate in the criminal justice process;
- The right to timely disposition of the case;
- The right to notice about the status of the case; and
- The right to apply for compensation.
Visit http://www.risenow.us, a site started by future Astronaut and survivor, Amanda Nguyen and find out how you can help advocate for survivor’s rights in your state.
The letter from the Stanford Rapist’s victim:
The ‘penis’ seat in Mexico City train:
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/world/americas/penis-seat-mexico-city-harassment.html
We shared some painful experiences in this episode and we hope that if you are able to you share your experiences with us in the comments on here or on facebook, or at least to your loved ones. We can only shine a light on the issues (bring awareness) if we are able to talk about it in the light of day. Either way, we are with you #StayStrong.
Check out episode 5 here:
The Jilted Indian Podcast 