Women Who Are Sexually Assaulted Will Continue To “Live Dead” Unless Old Ideologies About Women And

The sexual assault scandal and alleged cover-up at Baylor University regarding its football team come as no surprise. As reported, since 2011, 19 football players were accused of sexual assault against 17 women, yet there have been no criminal charges filed against any of the players until after 2014. Although I am outraged and appalled at Baylor’s failure to act promptly, I am not shocked about how the University and the Baylor’s police handled the women’s testimonies. Does Baylor University have a logical explanation for not responding instantly to 17 women’s claims? Whatever the University’s explanation is, it is worthless to the women who have been silenced since 2011, and who more than likely see this cover-up as Baylor University protecting its football team and its brand. As a result, 17 women were left powerless and their voices were muted. The question I ponder is whether the University’s significant failure to act is “Institutional or is it the expectation of people imprisoned by societal norms?

As a society we should be horrified by the sexual assault of these women. People can no longer be indifferent to the emotional state of women, who are sexually assaulted, abused or harassed. Furthermore, we cannot turn a blind eye to these women. We must begin a process of unlearning societal norms and abandoning old ideologies of women; otherwise, women wounded by these heinous crimes will continue to “live dead”.

You can read more details of the alleged cover-up and investigation on Baylor’s University website.