Presbyterian College students marched last week in solidarity with the victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Associated with Visions of Women, a South Carolina nonprofit organization that raises awareness about domestic violence and sexual assault, the March 21 event drew dozens of PC students walking together from Neville Hall to the Ross E. Templeton Center in support of survivors.

Event organizer Gabby Brinez-Pardo, a junior from Greer, shared some of the grim statistics associated with sexual assault in the United States. One in six American women are raped in their lifetime, she noted, while one out of 33 American men endure the same in theirs. More than half of all sexual assault victims are between the ages of 18-24, she added.

“That’s our age group,” Brinez-Pardo said. “Women in college between 18 to 24 are 20 percent more likely to be sexually assaulted than other women in general. College men between 18 to 24 are 78 percent more likely to be sexually assaulted than non-students of the same age.”

Brinez-Pardo said transgender and non-binary students, alongside students with more than one marginalized identity, are at even greater risk of being sexually assaulted. Sadly, a vast majority of these crimes go unreported, she said.

But the future does not have to remain as harsh as the present, Brinez-Pardo said.

“First, we start by changing the culture of how we perceive these occurrences,” she said. “We shift from questioning the actions of victims – such as what they were wearing, what they were doing at the time, if they were asking for it – and avoid shaming the victim for a crime they did not ask for.

“Second, we have to stand up for ourselves and speak out about these atrocious crimes. We all have a responsibility as individuals to uphold the fundamental principle that no one should be a victim of violence or be forced to live in fear.”

Lastly, Brinez-Pardo said students must report sexual assault – to campus police or the college’s Title IX team led by Dr. Selena Blair, the Rogers-Ingram Vice President for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

“PC is here, and PC cares,” she said. “Ultimately, it all starts with creating an atmosphere in which survivors of sexual assault know what their resources are and choose to report them. I won’t sugarcoat it. Reporting is the hardest part.”

Brinez-Pardo said reporting is a necessary leap of faith and courage to achieve security and justice.

“When you report, you’re not just speaking your truth,” she said. “You’re acknowledging that what happened to you was a violation of your peace and your safety, an intolerable action, and that you are not at fault.”

Brinez-Pardo said victims are never as alone as they might believe.

“There will always be someone ready to fight the hard fight with you,” she said. “That’s why it’s on us, all of us, to make our community and the world at large a safer place where violence is condemned, and survivors are shown that they are not alone. That is why we march today.”