The Valdosta University Police Department have taken a step toward “helping” the women on their campus by providing them with tips on how to be the perfect victim.
The website, headed with “Sexual Assault Prevention,” tells women that the three things that end sexual assault are all- surprise- within their own control! (Body language, being ‘aware of your surroundings,’ and walking in neighborhoods alone.)
After instructing ‘ladies’ to take self-defense comes the worse part. At my school, survivors of sexual violence are told very specifically that it is NOT THEIR FAULT. This is important at college especially, in a world and a context where date- and acquaintance-rape are rampant and underreported and misunderstood. But Valdosta has decided to end their sheet of “tips” with only one word of advice:
“Remember, awareness and the realization that it can happen to you are your best defenses.”
A note to the administrators at Valdosta: remember, awareness and the realization that it shouldn’t happen to you is the best source of eradication. Rape is never your fault, and no survivor of sexual violence should be held responsible for the acts committed against their bodies, against their wills, and against their safety. Women are not gatekeepers, victims cannot be “perfect,” and no rape whistle is going to stop any single person from committing a violent crime.