"Rape in Our Society- No Should Mean No"

Many women have found themselves in strenuous situations. They have screamed at the top of their lungs and tried to call for help. Some may have heard their pleas, many never did, attempted to give a hand, or ignored the situation. When I was in college I decided to take diverse psychology classes and an interesting article crossed my path. It was the story of Catherine "Kitty" Susan Genovese. She was a young Italian American woman in New York in the 60's. Her story touched my heart in many ways. Not only because she was a victim of rape, but because she faced the same struggles that my family did as Italian Americans living in this country. Genovese was inspirational in many ways because she chose to take care of herself and live on her own. She was an independent woman in all senses of the word. The night of her attack, she was leaving work. Many people heard her screams that night and no one did anything about it. Imagine thirty eight witnesses and no one decided to phone the police because they all thought someone else would. That could have been anyone's daughter, sister, granddaughter, niece, cousin, etc. The trouble is, this happens every day. People are afraid to help because of consequences. A life is precious and not reaching out is wrong. Many women are raped and never confess. They feel as if the assault was their fault, but it never was. No is no and if someone doesn't stop, he or she is committing a serious crime. Value your bodies. We only get one. It's never your fault. If you were a victim of rape, reach out. Help yourself when no one else will help you. To read more about Catherine Genovese go to:
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/predators/kitty_genovese/1.html