Take Back the Night is an inspiring large-scale awareness raising event that looks to give a voice to the issue of gender-based violence. It allows an entire community to come together and speak out against an issue that is all too often shrouded in silence due to shame and fear. Sexual assault is one of the most underreported crimes and remains something that people are afraid to talk about.

The amount of silence surrounding this issue also makes it difficult for survivors to know where to turn if they need support.

Everyone can make a difference regarding this issue in their day-to-day lives in seemingly small but influential ways. Attending an event like Take Back the Night is a means to start thinking about how we as a community can make it known that Loyola is a place where gender-based violence will not be accepted.

In order to change a culture around an issue such as gender-based violence, community involvement is the cornerstone to show that anyone can make a difference and to recognize that actions and inactions contribute to our environment.

Not everyone is a survivor of sexual assault, but everyone is a bystander. Bystanders play an integral role in changing a culture around the issue of sexual assault.

There are many societal gender roles and stereotypes which help maintain current sexist attitudes. These attitudes contribute to a larger culture in which the perpetrator of sexual assault is often free of responsibility for their actions and the victim is blamed for being assaulted. People all too often lose their courage when it comes to speaking up publicly against these mainstream views on a day-to-day basis. Speaking up and standing up for others is rarely easy, but it is a necessary component of changing the bystander behavior approach within a community. Think about how powerful it would be if someone spoke out loud when they heard people saying that sexual assault is not such a big deal.

These little but monumental actions are what changes a culture. There are a number of reasons why people choose not to speak up – they are embarrassed, think it is awkward or do not think it is their business. Now think about the consequences of not speaking up. Studies show that the presence of a bystander is the second most powerful factor in predicting the avoidance of a completed rape.

The presence of a bystander makes a completed rape 44 percent less likely. Acknowledging our own personal responsibility and connection to the community in which we live and understanding that what we do and don’t do, significantly impacts our environment makes it difficult for the community to take the “it doesn’t apply to me” stance.

It is important to note that within Loyola and the greater New Orleans communities there are a number of resources for victims and survivors. If someone is a victim of assault they have several options regarding how to proceed.

It is always the victim’s decisions on how she or he would like to respond to an assault. It may be difficult to watch someone in pain who is struggling with making a decision about a particular action.

You may feel compelled to advise on what is best for them. Having a victim exercise their right to make her or his own decision is very empowering and an important part of the healing process. Listening to what the person has to say, being supportive and non-judgmental, believing the story and taking the victim seriously are all helpful ways to respond to a victim of sexual assault.

In addition, being able to provide options regarding resources can be invaluable to a survivor of sexual assault. At Loyola, resources include the University Counseling Center, Women’s Resource Center, Loyola University Police Department and Student Health Services to name a few.

In the community there are resources such as the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program at University Hospital, Metropolitan Center for Women and Children and Crescent House. Getting involved with this issue is a good way to educate oneself about the resources available.I am proud to be a part of planning an event of this nature and look forward to Take Back the Night’s continued growth in positive directions.

Ilyse Goldberg is the assistant director of the university counseling center. She can be reached at [email protected].