“Me Too”: Ferguson’s Views on Sexual Assault

Sofia Bellon and Vanessa Rojas

There seems to be one prominent issue affecting everyone from celebrities, to the White House, to people right here in our own communities. Sexual assault has always been in the news but recently, due in part to more social media attention, it seems the stories about sexual misconduct are piling up and the victims are getting more attention each day. Sexual assault and harassment are struggles unfortunately faced by many individuals in various learning and work environments so the students and staff here at Ferguson definitely have a voice regarding the issue.  

Many people’s understanding of what sexual assault entails can vary and often depends on the situation they’re considering. However, the actual definition of sexual assault is simple. Any coerced or unwanted, forced performance of sexual acts can be considered sexual assault, including rape. Another thing to understand about sexual assault is that coercion isn’t limited to the physical use of force. Emotional or psychological manipulation can be used to harass someone into partaking in a sexual act. According to our nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), forms of sexual assault can include attempted rape or rape, unwanted sexual touching, and forcing a victim to perform sexual acts.

Fed up with the silence on sexual assault and harassment issues, Tarana Burke founded a movement by the name of “#MeToo” over a decade ago to empower all victims of sex crimes. In the midst of the sexual harassment allegations against Hollywood director Harvey Weinstein, the movement gained a lot of traction on Twitter after actress Alyssa Milano’s tweet encouraging victims to speak out about their experiences using the hashtag “me too” (#MeToo). After millions of tweets in which victims share their experiences, the movement has now reached a global scale, igniting conversations all over the world. The group of people responsible for the movement’s magnitude, known as “The Silence Breakers”, have even been named Time magazine’s 2017 People of the Year. Even when faced with the sheer number of victims speaking out, we must take into consideration the fact that not every victim chooses to share their story. This is an issue bigger than all of us so the action taken must be bigger than anything ever seen before. Many people like Ferguson’s own AP Psychology teacher Ms. Michelle Vigoa- Suarez and our principal Rafael Villalobos agree that the best way to combat sexual violence is through education and that is something we can implement right here in our community and even in our school.

The students and faculty here at Ferguson have very similar opinions and feelings about just how important the issue of sexual assault is. Making sure that our society knows how great of an impact just talking about sexual assault can have on everyone around you is a huge step in understanding that sexual misconduct is not acceptable or excusable under any circumstances. Many students here at Ferguson have heard about the #MeToo movement and are proud to see victims standing up for themselves. A wide range of the kids here have a great satisfaction knowing that the victim isn’t being shamed as much anymore and that the perpetrators of the sexual misconduct are paying. Sophomore Georgina Rodriguez says, “this movement has helped victims be more open about it and has helped others realize that sexual assault is a problem.” It’s amazing to see how this movement has given courage to victims all around the world to stand up for themselves and openly talk about what they have experienced.

Communication to bring awareness is something we can spread not only across our schools but to other working and learning environments as well. The students here at Ferguson think it’s essential to teach children from an early age about what’s appropriate and what isn’t. Not only teaching females and males about the dangers of sexual assault and their psychological repercussions but also teaching boys as well as girls that sexual misconduct is not okay and should never be done no matter what. Mrs. Michelle Vigoa-Suarez stated, “the key element here is education. Psychologists should start intervening to assess what’s appropriate and what’s not.” We should always be aware of the fact that these unfortunate accidents do occur and that knowledge is essential in our part to help minimize this issue. Mr. Rafael Villalobos feels that educating people on the repercussions sexual assault can have on its victims can be a large part of preventing the issue. “Focusing on training, focusing on understanding and what that [sexual assault] can do,” is what he suggests to cut down on the issue at its source. Mr. Villalobos also wants to make sure that if a situation were ever to arise here at Ferguson all necessary steps will be taken to bring justice for the victim and that they will always have a supportive community to tell their story to.

As far as awareness is concerned the #MeToo movement is very popular because it allows you to hear firsthand people’s stories and allows you to reach out in an almost direct way through social media. Here at Ferguson, students have thankfully learned things from the #MeToo movement that will stay with them forever. Junior Abigail Caballero explains what she learned by stating, “they [the victims] can realize that they aren’t alone in this. It doesn’t matter your age or where you are, it can be anyone you know.” It’s also very important for people to know that sexual assault can happen to men as well. In fact, “The Silence Breakers” include many men. We as a community need to make sure that everyone, man, and woman, has the ability to speak out and ask for help and that should never be taken away from them.

Sexual assault is an issue that affects more people than you can imagine. We as a community need to move forward in ensuring that change happens. Social media has played a tremendous part in showing us that many individuals have been victims of sexual violence and that it’s a tragic event that will stay with victims forever. However, this doesn’t have to be the legacy we leave behind. Harnessing the communication power of social media is a large step and through this and other platforms, we have to be sure to be supportive of our peers and others and giving them a safe space to voice their troubles. By being there for victims and making sure their voices are heard loud and clear we can truly make a difference in our communities and work environments. The change will only happen if we truly take this matter as serious as possible and educate others in the most direct way we can. Together, with the help of social media, education, and awareness, the issues on sexual assault will be more widely known and we will acknowledge the problem and move forward into an era of more understanding and less violence.