Rape can happen to you

Wednesday, there will be a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. at Showalter Fountain. This is a time to remember women who have been victims of violence, as there are many.\nEveryday, 12 women are killed by husbands or boyfriends. Right now, as you read this, a woman is being beaten by her husband ' and now another, for it happens every few seconds.\n Last month in Chesterfield, Ind., Pamela Louk's estranged husband hunted her down at her workplace and shot her four times. She survived but is still at Methodist Hospital where she lies paralyzed in serious condition. The Indianapolis Star reported that the attack came eight days after she filed for divorce. What happened to Louk is called separation assault, and it's more common than you would believe.\nIn April, Gregory Bonds killed Monica Blakley of Indianapolis, along with her 10-month-old son. He was the boy's father, and it happened just hours after she sought a protective order against him. After killing them, he killed himself. \nFederal statistics indicate, in cases in which a husband threatens to kill his wife, owns a gun or actively stalks her, the woman is 25 times more likely to die within 60 days of leaving him than if she had stayed. \nThe U.S. Justice Department reported that 1,320 women were killed in 1998 at the hands of husbands and boyfriends. \nEvery 15 seconds a woman is battered in the United States. Chances are you know someone who is in an abusive relationship. Chances are you haven't reported the situation, because within every abusive relationship lies a group of people who are keeping it secret. \nAccording to the National Victim Center, 1.3 women are raped every minute, 78 rapes each hour. But only 16 percent of rapes are reported to the police. And nearly 80 percent of those raped knew their attacker. \nAccording to the FBI, one in three women will be sexually assaulted during her lifetime; one in four women in college will be victimized during her four years at school.\nThe rate of sexual assault in the United States is the highest of any industrialized nation in the world. \nThe U.S. Department of Justice found that 76 percent of women who reported being raped and/or physically assaulted were victimized by a date, boyfriend, husband or cohabitational partner. \nThe Bureau of Justice statistics indicate that women ages 20-34 had the highest rate of violence victimization attributed to intimates. Seven out of 10 intimates murdered are women.\nTime magazine found that there are 3000 animal shelters in the U.S., but only 700 shelters for battered women.\nThis year, 400 IU females will be raped ' 78 percent of them by someone they know. And 57 percent of rapes will occur on a date.\nThink you're invisible? Think again. This is a serious problem that won't go away.\nThe Middle Way House provides services for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, as well as for women who feel they are in danger. They can be contacted 24-hours a day at 336-0846. \nThe 24-hour IU Sexual Assault Crisis number is 855-8900. \nThe Indiana hotline for battered women is 1-800-334-7233. \nIf you know someone ' or if you have been victimized ' please get help. It is not your fault. Making the call is the first step.\nMost rapes don't occur while you're walking home late at night. They've happened long before your night ended. They happened at the party after you drank too much; they happened after the dinner with that "nice guy;" they happened when you were separated from your friends. \nRapists are not born. They are made ' and remade in the society that makes both "us" and "them." Rape is the result of a man's anger. It is his way of avoiding his own inadequacy. \nThere are 51 sex offenders registered in Bloomington. This is their home.\nYou probably already know a man who has raped someone, because the average rapist rapes 18 times before being caught. These are the facts. Say nothing and you too may become a victim.\nAt 7 p.m. Thursday in Dunn Meadow, the Take Back the Night rally will take place. It will be followed by a march to the Monroe County Courthouse for a speak-out. If you are female, you should be there. If you are a male, you should be there, too. \nHave I scared you? Good. Because that fear might just save your life. Follow your intuition. And don't be a victim.