How You Can Get Involved
Do Your Research
Before getting involved with any social justice issue, it is important that you know a lot of information pertaining to your cause. This way you will not only understand it better yourself but, you will also be able to explain it effectively to other people. In this case you should try to educate yourself on a variety of different topics surround rape culture. This could mean reading personal accounts of victims, researching advertisements, songs, or television shows that promote sexual assault, or simply visiting more websites like this one to further your understanding. The more you know, the more of a difference you will make.
Share Your Knowledge
Once you have educated yourself on the injustices surrounding rape culture, one option you have to get involved is to spread the word. Through social media websites like Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and Instagram, you are now able to send out a message to hundreds of people with a click of a button. Every time you create a post about the information you've gathered, you are spreading the word about this issue. This alone can help to change people's opinion, and in turn get rid of the stigma associated with rape.
Donate
Donating is one of the most common forms of involvement in social justice issues because it is both easy, and effective. The same can be said for the fight against rape culture. There are charities all around the world that help to either prevent sexual assaults from happening, or provide services to the victim in the event of one occurring. However, many of these organizations need financial help to pay for said services, pay for advertising, or to put on events.
That being said, donating money is not always an option for people so, donating your time might be a good alternative. Volunteering can also help the cause by cutting the charity's cost significantly.
If you decide this is something you may be interested in, you should do your research to make an informed decision on what charity you wish to give to. Below are the websites of a few charities and organizations that need our help:
That being said, donating money is not always an option for people so, donating your time might be a good alternative. Volunteering can also help the cause by cutting the charity's cost significantly.
If you decide this is something you may be interested in, you should do your research to make an informed decision on what charity you wish to give to. Below are the websites of a few charities and organizations that need our help:
- www.rapereliefshelter.bc.ca
- www.wavaw.ca
- www.rainn.org
- www.mencanstoprape.org
Join the SlutWalk
SlutWalk is annual rally that happens all around the world to protest rape culture and victim blaming. The first rally was in Toronto, Ontario in 2011 after a representative of the Toronto Police Department stated that "women should stop dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized". This sparked outrage in the city, and resulted in a large number of men and women coming together to send the message that rape is not ever the victim's fault.
If you are interested in participating in a rally, visit their official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SlutWalk to learn more about upcoming events near you.
If you are interested in participating in a rally, visit their official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SlutWalk to learn more about upcoming events near you.
Slideshow photos from SlutWalk rallies around the world.
don't participate
One of the easiest and most important ways that you can get involved in ending rape culture is to make sure that you don't participate in it. If your friend makes a joke about rape, don't laugh. If a singer comes out with a song that endorses rape, don't buy or listen to it. If a movie or TV show makes excuses for a rapist, don't watch it. If a company uses an advertisement that normalizes or makes light of sexual assault, don't buy their product. Although this may not have the most immediate effect, it will show that you are fed up, standing your ground, and not putting up with it anymore.