#saapm #saam #metoo
April is National Sexual Assault Awareness Month. I really wanted to do something to raise awareness for this. So, I created two pieces.
Before I post them and tell you all about them, I just need to get a couple of things off of my mind.
First, I came from a generation where you did not acknowledge or talk about anything sex related. Ever. I even remember having to figure things out on my own when I first got my period at 12. Nothing was ever explained to me about how my body worked, what consent was, what boundaries were…none of it….
Second, because none of this was talked about and didn’t “exist,” it led to things happening that I had no idea were wrong and actually had a name. They felt wrong and as a young girl, I knew they were wrong, but I had no verbiage to say anything much less anyone to say it to.
Bad things happening to you, change you and not in a good way. Bad things happening to you and not having any type of resource to heal from them, is hell on earth.
So, I am here, in solidarity, for those of you that have been affected by Sexual Assault.
I also took the liberty to post some stats for you from the NSVRC website for your information.
“Nearly 1 in 5 women (18.3%) and 1 in 71 men (1.4%) in the United States have been raped at some time in their lives, including completed forced penetration, attempted forced penetration, or alcohol/drug facilitated completed penetration.
More than half (51.1%) of female victims of rape reported being raped by an intimate partner and 40.8% by an acquaintance; for male victims, more than half (52.4%) reported being raped by an acquaintance and 15.1% by a stranger.
Approximately 1 in 21 men (4.8%) reported that they were made to penetrate someone else during their lifetime; most men who were made to penetrate someone else reported that the perpetrator was either an intimate partner (44.8%) or an acquaintance (44.7%).
An estimated 13% of women and 6% of men have experienced sexual coercion in their lifetime (i.e., unwanted sexual penetration after being pressured in a nonphysical way); and 27.2% of women and 11.7% of men have experienced unwanted sexual contact.
Most female victims of completed rape (79.6%) experienced their first rape before the age of 25; 42.2% experienced their first completed rape before the age of 18 years.
More than one-quarter of male victims of completed rape (27.8%) experienced their first rape when they were 10 years of age or younger.”
We have to do better. We have no choice.
I also want you to know that healing is something that can be done. However, just know that scars will always be there and you need to try and be alright with that.
I am still trying to be alright with that….
Below are the two pieces I created for SAAM. This series is called Sensitive Subjects – Inspirational Paintings. Below each one is a description. Take what you want from them and leave the rest. Send them to whomever you feel would benefit from them along with this note from me:
“ I love you, I am proud of you, and you will live to fight another fight.”
More info: sarahchildersart.com
Focus On Your Breathing - This is the second piece for Sexual Assault Awareness Month which is the month of April. I call it, ” Focus On Your Breathing.” I named it this because right now I am in the middle of training for my certification to become a yoga teacher. My teacher told me a story about how when she was in India, the resident elephant’s trunk would be in to everything…. like a toddler… so, her teacher would give the elephant a stick to hold to keep its trunk occupied. This was a metaphor for how she wanted us to act during meditation. Which has played a huge part in my healing from past trauma. She taught me to focus on my breathing to keep my mind from wandering. Just like the elephant needed a stick to hold to keep its trunk from wandering. I hope you like it. Please feel free to take what speaks to you and leave the rest.
I Wanted It To Be Pretty - This is the first piece I created for Sexual Assault Awareness Month which is the month of April. I call it, “I Wanted It To Be Pretty.” I don’t know that describing it one way does it justice. Please feel free to interpret it as you see fit.
