Blog Entry 1

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.