The clear disregard for women’s rights to safety and overall equality in the world is blatant and frightening. The kidnapping and murder of Sarah Everard in the United Kingdom is just one example of how much disregard there is for women and our right to life.
She took many precautions, took a well-lit route home, calling her boyfriend to make sure someone knew she was walking back to her apartment. Even still, she was found dead on March 10.
The fact that she, and many women like her, feel it to be necessary to take safety measures like she did is a testament to the awful world we live in. But, to make matters worse, the man being tried for her murder is a police officer — leaving many women like myself feeling that ultimately there is no safety for a female.
And that is coming from a white woman, knowing the feeling of terror I felt after reading the study The Guardian did this year, stating that 97% of women 18-24 have been sexually harassed. I cannot even imagine the feeling of hopelessness of being a woman of color.
When will this end? When will we start teaching our sons that they do not have the rights to the bodies of our daughters?
I do not know a single woman, myself included, who has not gone through sexual harassment of some kind or another. It is embedded into our culture and it has to change for the betterment of the world.
I do not have all the answers as to how we will stop the constant attacks on every woman and girl, but I will not stop fighting until we do. It is not only up to the people it affects. Every single one of us must actively educate our peers, stand up for our friends, and fight against those who oppose us. I do not know when the change will come but I do know that the answer should unequivocally be now.
Jade Rose Seliger, Salt Lake City