Sexual abuse and
rape are both health issues I am most concerned about. They are health issues
not many like to talk about; sometimes they are not considered proper health
issues. An event such as rape can cause much damage to the health of the mind
and body; it is also something that can happen to anyone at anytime. Throughout
the years I have heard many cautionary stories about sexual abuse or rape, and
the ways I could prevent such traumatic events. Many times I have heard jokes
regarding sexual abuse and rape, as if it is never taken seriously. In many
societies, rapist tend to walk free with little repercussions from their
attacks while the victims are forced to bow their heads and be shamed by their
communities.
I interviewed
two women. Rosa is a 51-year-old woman from Mexico and she told me that the
health issue she was most concerned about was diabetes. She said that diabetes
was common in her family and that she risked having it because she is
overweight. The next woman I interviewed was 18-year-old Latina, Miranda. The
health issue she was most concerned about was high cholesterol; she claimed
that her father struggled with high cholesterol and that at one point she too
was at risk of attaining high cholesterol. Both women expressed their worries for
common physical health issues that have been present in their family
members.
After I
interviewed them both I asked them if they would consider sexual abuse and/or
rape as health issues, in which they both responded no. Many people have
different definitions of health, both these women only considered the
particular diseases or disorders that could damage someone physically. They
both agreed that sexual abuse and rape are both generally bad things, they
forgot about the damage it could leave on the victims such as depression,
anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and much more. Which made me realize
the importance of educating people regarding topics such as these since it is
not discussed as often as other health issues.
