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1 out of every 3 women worldwide has been sexually assaulted. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will be sexually assaulted before they are 18. In America alone, someone is sexually violated every 2 minutes. Earlier this month, a 6 year old was raped at her school in India. During the FIFA World Cup, children as young as 10 years old were forced to sell their bodies for 50 cents.

Are you seeing the same words I’m seeing? Are you comprehending what these words mean? I recently had a discussion with my boss regarding these questions. Based on the action being taken by people I know, nobody has read these statistics; nobody knows the reality. But I’m calling you out. You do know the reality. I know the reality. So why in the world are we not doing anything? Why do people no longer seem shocked, no longer bothered, no longer deeply disturbed by news and statistics of sexual violence? I don’t have an infallible answer. I’m genuinely asking you.

I can’t speak for people who don’t live where I live. I really can’t even speak for anyone but myself. But just for now, I’ll throw out my theories as to why people appear to be growing frighteningly comfortable with news of rape.

First theory: People ARE initially shocked. They read the news or meet someone who has personally been sexually assaulted, and they feel for them. They wonder why people do such disgusting things to other people. They wonder why the world is such a dark place. They wonder about how horrible it would be if that happened to them. They wonder if it is possible to end such atrocity. And that is all they do. They wonder.

Second theory: People don’t see it as their responsibility to end sexual violence. They would rather live in comfort, counting on the idea that someone somewhere will do something about it. But there’s no way it could be them. They’ll sit comfortably on their couch watching the news about the girls gang-raped in India, and they’ll be saddened. They can’t believe that happens to people, and they wish it didn’t. Then they’ll scroll through social media and see countless articles about the same story and others like it, but it won’t have the effect it had on them the first time. They’ve already heard about that.

Third theory: People want to do something, but they don’t know where to start. So instead they just forget about it and let the disturbance leave their mind. Soon enough they’ll grow comfortable again…while people all around the world are being raped.

If you fall into any of my theories, and if you don’t; if you’re a human being, you don’t have an excuse to be comfortable anymore. Sorry to ruin that for you. But here, I’ll fix it again. You can stay where you’re sitting, or you can keep zombie-walking with your iPhone wherever you are. And simultaneously you can prove that you aren’t comfortable with the way the world currently is. All you have to do is sign this petition (http://www.change.org/petitions/un-general-assembly-end-sexual-violence-through-education-and-training), and you can know you have DONE something. You’re no longer subject to being a wonderer, a person running from responsibility, or someone with untapped passion to create change. I am giving you a way to change the nightly news by changing the world. If you are determined to remain in your comfort, I’ll ask you this final question: At whose expense are you comfortable?

SIGN Petition link:

http://www.change.org/petitions/un-general-assembly-end-sexual-violence-through-education-and-training

Resources:

George Mason University, Worldwide Sexual Assault Statistics, 2005

Finkelhor et al., 1990

https://rainn.org

http://www.ryot.org/child-prostitution-brazil-world-cup/724729

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-28340617