Speaking Out

Thinking back to a couple of years ago, I faintly remember hearing about a student who had gotten kidnapped and raped after attending an off-campus party. I remember thinking how horrible it must have been to experience such an atrocity, and how scared the victim must have felt on that terrifying night. What sticks out most in my memory, however, was the fact that this student had done everything right- she was walking with friends, was not reported to have been intoxicated, and was not leaving a party with a male. This information was especially troublesome to me, as I naively thought that one only gets raped if they choose not to take these precautionary measures. At that time, I had no name or face to put to the story. The news came and went, it seemed, after a week or so, and I finished my sophomore year.

Now, almost two and a half years later, the story I once heard has not only names, but a voice. A voice that is currently being heard around the world by a woman who has defied fear and chosen the courage and bravery needed to change the perception of rape in our world.

Monika Korra's story has now been told through newspapers, television, and will soon be published in a book. Her life threatening account is peppered throughout national news networks and ESPN, through a special that ran this week featuring Monika's story.

Words cannot express how thankful I am to Monika and how much I admire her strength and courage to give a voice to individuals who are victims of sexual assault, and to forgive a criminal who forever changed her life.

Monika Korra's willingness to share her story is an example of how communication is being used to change and reform the injustice and stereotypes that silence victims.

Read more about Monika and watch her story here: http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/7811224/smu-cross-country-runner-monika-korra-survived-brutal-rape-tells-story

and here: http://www.smudailycampus.com/justice-brings-healing-monika-korra-s-journey-1.2844055