By Emily Feldmesser
Copy Editor
The rape of 14-year-old Daisy Coleman by 17-year-old Matthew Barnett in Maryville, Mo., has captured the nationâs attention.
Barnett wasnât charged with statutory rape. According to Missouri law, the victim has to be younger than 14 or the perpetrator older than 21. Barnettâs family is also politically influential in the area.
Ever since the rape, Coleman and her family were driven out of their home. Her mother was fired from her job and their house was burned down in retaliation for coming forward with these allegations. But Coleman is staying strong and speaking out against her attacker.
I feel like these kinds of stories are a constant mainstay in news media. Itâs nothing newâevery year, assaults and attacks happen and go unreported.
And with the prevalence of social media, even the victims do not retain their privacyâThe attacks in Maryville and Steubenville, Ohio, were both filmed.
But thatâs another issue itself. What I want to talk about is rape. Itâs a scary word with horrible consequences. But itâs a real issue.
Instead of teaching women not to get raped, we need to teach men not to rape. I laugh as I say this because to me, itâs common sense. I donât understand why we would need to teach common sense, but I guess itâs necessary.
When I go out, Iâm always conscious of what Iâm doing, how I dress, how I dance and how I act. I donât want to âenticeâ the men around me to âmakeâ them do something I wouldnât want them to. Because, you know, men canât control themselves around a woman dancing in a bar. Right? Itâs the womanâs fault for wearing a short skirt, for drinking a bit too much or for dancing too provocatively. Right?
No. Itâs not the womanâs fault. She should act however she wants to. She should be able to walk home safely at night.
But she canât. She has to be aware of the men out there who donât respect women. She has to be careful of the men who grab and grope at her at the bar. She has to watch out for the guys who catcall her while sheâs walking to work.
Iâm sick of it. Why do people have to tell me how to dress, who to hang out with, when I can go out or how to live my life? I cannot and will not live for someone else.
Women are in control of their own bodies and their own lives. They can choose whom they sleep or donât sleep with. A woman saying no doesnât mean âtry again.â It means no. If women want to walk home by themselves at night, they should be able to without constantly checking over their shoulder to see if someone is following them.
Women should be able to feel safe, no matter where they are or whom they are with. Women should be respected and cared for in the community.