In Thursday’s article of The Daily Eastern News, EIU FEM President Alana Reinhardt took a stand against rape culture by marching in the fifth annual S.L.U.T. walk.

“We march because consent isn’t sexy,” Reinhardt said. “Consent is required.”

We live in a society that has not shown full support of the victims of sexual assault. This is absolutely unacceptable.

It is a simple concept- unless a person gives consent, someone who wants to make sexual advances towards them should do what we all learned in elementary school and keep their hands, as well as all their other parts, to themselves.

For some reason this is somehow lost in translation in our culture.

We even go as far as to blame victims.

We scrutinize victims to the point it is sometimes hard to tell if we are prosecuting them or the perpetrator.

In the article, it mentions the walk started because a Toronto police officer told women that they should “avoid dressing like sluts” in order to prevent sexual violence.

No matter what anyone wears, they are never at fault for some other person deciding to commit a crime against them by sexually violating them. It is sickening that victim blaming still exists.

By saying a victim is at fault you are basically supporting what the perpetrator did.

Do not let your own personal fashion choices distract from the fact people who are sexually assaulted are victims.

They did not ask for what was done to them.

The fact that they did not ask or even approve of what was being done to them is what makes it a crime.

By not always accepting this as fact, members of society make it hard for victims to come forward and begin the healing process.

We would never say if someone did not look so rich, they would not have been robbed.

Why do we find it normal to question people about their clothing after a sexual assault?

It makes no sense.

Hormones do not control people like that.

Rape is a choice made by the perpetrator and no one else.

Marches like the S.L.U.T. walk are great to spread awareness this issue society is facing.

Hopefully with awareness being spread, understanding of the awful reality of rape and how horribly destructive it is to blame those who have experienced it will spread as well.

However, this is not enough.

People must take a long hard look at themselves and commit to not standing by silently as rape culture is perpetuated.

Sexual assault is a terrible thing in all its forms.

With self reflection and enough education, may be sometime in the future we as a society will be able to realize how terrible it is that sexual assaults ever occurred and that walks had to be put together just to get people to care about such a devastating issue.