Prevention is better than cure, meaning that it is better and easier to stop a problem from happening than to stop or correct it after it has started. Sexual assault is one of those topics that makes me think about prevention being better than cure. It’s a topic that is weighty and very emotional, one that we don’t want to talk about, or think about. I get it, but isn’t it better to talk about it than having to deal with the after effects later on down the road? Many who have experienced sexual assault, if they are fortunate, will get the help that will be needed after their traumatic encounter. The rest who don’t get the help that’s necessary, society will have to deal with this individual one way or the other during their journey healing from their trauma. I wish someone had that conversation with me when I was young. I wish someone told me what to do if I got cornered in a room by someone who’s intention was to gratify them-self sexually with no thought about how it was going to affect me. I rather had that bit of information passed on to me, no matter how small, on what to do when at some point during the night I am paid a visit by someone seeking to gratify themselves sexually.

The silence on sexual assault in our community and culture is astounding. Overtime parents have taught their children to be enablers without intending to do so. Because of their parents silence on the subject, children are being taught to be silent too. They are silently being told not to tell, and are left with the decision of not giving up that close family friend or someone they love in their family. We wonder why sexual assault has been so repetitive among our children, and later on sexual violence walks amongst our young adults, and furthermore in adulthood. Why not equip children with enough information to ward off any offence? Having some knowledge is better than being taken off guard by your abuser. When we fail to speak about sexual assault openly with our children we leave them at a disadvantage.  From personal experience I know how prevalent sexual assault is in our community, and how it’s a selfish act that has victimized many from generation to generation. Countless young children being targeted and victimized over and over again, and I wonder what will it take to get our community to be non-silent about the subject and taking action to stop it? My hope is to encounter especially less females who have been sexually assaulted. My hope is that sexual assault will no longer be the norm in our society, because we no longer keep it a dark secret, but instead we have chosen to bring it out into the light. Isn’t prevention better than cure?

Elaine