Sex is such a touchy topic amongst people in today's society, not to mention the details of the act itself. Many are not even properly educated on the topic or anything to do with it. I have determined that my research topic will be about sexual violence and rape culture in the younger generation, focusing on the college student age. The research question I've composed is "How do we address tackle the issue of rape and sexual violence especially among younger people?" There are a lot of things to address on rape and rape culture topic that can just be solved with a simple answer. When talking on the topic of something as vast as rape, there are a lot of things that need to be focused on such as, what sexual violence is, who is affected, how they are effected and what we can do about it. I am interested in this topic because of all the exposure I have had, especially over the last few years on the issue. Rape is a serious issue that in some cases is not treated as such. I personally feel as if there could be more done pertaining to sexual violence cases and that we can all educate ourselves more on the issue. I have come across people in my life that have experienced sexual violence in some form or fashion. I have also seen the side that most people don't get to see too often, the damage. I would say that I am qualified to talk about this issue because I could be affected by sexual violence myself being a young female in college; it is even more of a danger for me. All of the stories that I have heard and people I know that have been personally affected by this sort of violence makes me want to dig a little deeper into the real issues and help in promoting awareness and safety. Rape culture in America has been uncovered as one of the country's major issues. It is important to educate the people on what is going on as well as how we can help combat the problem. Some of the ways we could help inform people is to educated the people as well providing services for the victims effected by sexual violence. That could be through creating social programs, providing better help for rape victims, also making sure that everyone is educated on the issue.

Rape culture has been defined as "a culture where we blame victims, where we disbelieve victims, where we act like rape is uncommon and trivial" (Kelley). Rape can be defined as "unlawful sexual intercourse or any other sexual penetration of the vagina, anus or mouth of another person, with or without force, by a sex organ, other body part, or foreign object, without the consent of the victim" (Rape). In simpler words saying that rape is a sexual crime against one's will. Rape therefore is not only crime but a "major public health issue" (Schafran). It combines the law and people's personal lives. With that it is important to understand that " rape is more than just a sex crime, it affects its victim psychologically and boosts women to speak up and not just hurt in silence" (Wolf). Rape is a crime, but it is more than just that. It is a major public health issue, because it affects a person mentally, emotionally, and physically (Schafran). The article by Schafran central argument was how rape is also a major public health issue even though it is often not viewed as such. The article opened with a quote from C. Everett Koop on the impact of rape in several ways, "[It has] a clear and measurable impact on the physical and mental health of all our citizens. And every day, it also has a major impact upon our clinics, our hospital emergency rooms, and all of our health care facilities." There Koop gives more than just the personal effects of this act of violence, but how others play a role in the issue. Schafran stresses many facts from surveys and other sources on all the health effects of rape, "The fact that 13% of all rape victims have actually attempted suicide confirms the devastating and potentially life-threatening impact of rape," thus showing how even more than just the justice system is needed in this act of violence (Schafran). Being that rape is more than a physical act, it effects people mental and they may even need to get outside help. Schafran says "As for sexual offenders, health care providers who treat them must be specialists," so that shows that it takes different departments of people with the right qualifications to help, making it a public health issue. Throughout the article Schafran includes lots of evidence to support the central argument that rape is also a public health issue not just a personal issue for the individual. The problem with people across America is that they are not even aware of that and if they are they just do not know where the line should be drawn and what is the best way to tackle such a multi faceted issue.

The core of the issue is how rape is dealt with that has made rape culture so "popular" in America and other places. It is not taken as serious as other crimes and in some situation is just simply something looked over. People specifically young men also feel entitled to others or women's bodies (Kelley). It is important to inform and teach each other and children on the value of their bodies and what is and is not okay. Based on a book written by a woman wanting to speak up, the article basically states just how much of a problem rape in America is and how it can be handled. The article basically lays out the outline of Kate Harding's Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture, a book written on the silence of rape and how people can speak up (Kelly).

The article Incapacitated Rape Is a Big Problem talks a lot about rape and people not being fully aware of what is going on, whether it be that you are drunk or just that you are not able to defend yourself. This article also focuses on how many women entering college are likely to be assaulted and why aren't more people doing something about this issue that's getting all of this press in recent times. Often times rape happens and the victim may not even be aware at the time or do not truly understand the extent of their situation until later on. Regardless of the circumstances if the person was not open to it was rape.

Most people affected by rape are young people and women. The article "Date Rape Amongst Adolescents and Young Adults" attacks the topic of date rape amongst young people. The article delivers straight facts from surveys and research on the topic. It was stated that adolescents and young adults were four times more likely to be a victim of sexual assault than women in any other age group. The article even starts to focus on how informing people could help eliminate its occurrence. Thus saying that this is the target group in which needs to be educated and protected. In American culture it is something that is not quite focused on amongst young people or anyone in general. 

Sex in general is seen as such a private matter and something like sexual violence is unfortunately kept quiet about too.  The article states "in the field of sexual violence, however, the bystander situation is more complicated," which is over all true (McMahon 488). "Incoming College Students Bystander Behaviors to Prevent Sexual Violence" focuses on preventing sexual violence and making it more socially acceptable to intervene. Things discussed were aimed at incoming college students so that they can be more informed and effectively help someone in need. The article discusses ways the students could approach the situation safely as well as informing students on the dangers of sexual assault. Dealing with sexual violence and it being such a touchy topic, it is important that people are informed not only on what rape is but how they can step in if they need too. Colleges can provide, "Proactive opportunities are "positive actions that students can take to demonstrate a commitment to addressing sexual violence and can include taking a class to learn more about sexual violence or becoming a peer educator on campus" (McMahon 489). Things discussed were aimed at incoming college students so that they can be more informed and effectively help someone in need. As a bystander in a situation dealing with sexual violence can be much more complex than stepping in on another problem so the article discusses ways the students could approach the situation safely as well as informing students on the dangers of sexual assault (McMahon). These are just simple ways to get bystanders more involved, especially the younger ones since they are more likely to be effected by the issue.

Dealing with something as serious and large as rape culture, there is really are no direct oppositions to informing people or speaking up on the issue. Things such as the law and other logistics of the topic kind of go against trying to do any and everything we can to make the current ways we deal with rape better. One thing that directly affects progress being made on the issue is the law. There has to be "proof" and it is not always easy to get proof on an issue such as sexual violence (Alter). It is difficult trying to find a balance between the justice side of sexual violence and how it affects people personally. Not only are we working to make sure that people are aware and that they are more informed it is important to also make it easier for the crime to be dealt with, law wise. 

The research question that I have proposed is arguable because it has multiple facets to it. There are many things that people can debate over pertaining to the issue of sexual violence. People argue over who's to blame for the issues, there are social constructs involved, and it is such a current issue that its talked about quite often now. Rape Culture amongst young people specifically women needs to be addressed and there is definitely more that we can do. Based on the sources used to answer than central question, 'what can we do?" there are a number of solutions or at least things that can be done to better the problem. We have to inform people as to what rape is, find ways to allow bystanders to effectively step up, and find a balance between the lawful side, public health side, and the personal devastations of sexual violence. It is definitely no easy solution or one solution that we can just propose right away. We can start with educating more in schools, allowing people to realize they can be more than just a bystander by giving them the skills to effectively intervene if they ever need too, and also not over looking all the sides tat rape can affect a person. 

