Take Back the Night is not about condemning victim

I am very upset and discouraged by the IDS’s coverage of Take Back the Night this year. Wednesday’s article “Uniting to Take Back the Night” by Chelsea Merta misrepresents the purpose of the event, ignoring one of the most important messages reiterated by every speaker in Dunn Meadow: Victims are not to blame for domestic and sexual assault.\nTake Back the Night is an annual march and rally against domestic violence and sexual assault which aims to break the silence surrounding these issues by uniting students and community members in collective voice against such attacks. It is the goal of the event to help prevent future attacks by providing a dialogue about what assault is and how to stop the perpetuation of violence. It is also a time to recognize the heinousness of these crimes and their affect on victims and their loved ones. During the rally in Dunn Meadow, speakers called for an end to the abusive and sexual violation of women and men. IU student and faculty representatives as well as Middle Way House Crisis Intervention Services Coordinator Liz Hannibal urged others to shatter the silence surrounding these crimes by reporting assault and believing and supporting those who experience this violence. A candlelight vigil was held in honor of victims and survivors.\nIt is disappointing that the message of the event was lost in Merta’s article which quotes two event attendees blaming women for attacks enacted against them. One misinformed woman stated, “women in college, especially, make poor decisions” while another (a student and Middle Way House volunteer) said, “change needs to start within a woman,” implying that female victims are somehow at fault if they are assaulted. It is never a victim’s fault when someone chooses to hurt her or him. Victim blaming must stop in order to end the oppression of women and men affected by these issues, who are too afraid to seek help because they think they have (or believe others will think they have) done something to cause the attack against them.\nDo not blame victims for their attackers’ crimes.