By Dungy
This article was written in response to Anne DePrince’s opinion piece “Guest Commentary: What the #MeToo epidemic means for #CouldBeMeToo” in the Denver Post that discussed the prevalence of sexual violence and assault against women.
Dear Anne,
I want to start off with I totally agree with you on protecting women and children. This is as important as life itself. I have a grandmother who is my best friend in the whole world, my mom that I believe is a saint, sisters that are wholesome and respectable, and daughters that are special in my heart. And if something were to ever happen to them, the offenders should hope that they receive life sentences. Women are physically and mentally abused at an alarming rate. More should be done to protect our loved ones. Nobody should be subjected to sexual abuse.
One thing must be said about sexual abuse, is that if sexual abuse is a problem then it is up to men and women together to create a solution, not just one of the genders. I as a father will do my part on educating my daughters on how to remain safe in a dangerous world because danger awaits around every corner and we can’t hire enough police to protect every child and woman. So as a proactive father I will teach my daughter how to be vigilant, alert, and abstain from sexual activity until God has joined her with a Prince that will be her soul mate. Or Princess if she decides to.
On the other hand we want to be proactive on teaching our boys and young men to respect our girls and women. I believe this has gone by the wayside with the culture of media that women are sex symbols for profit at the cost of their false image. This has to be fixed on both sides. Women can’t allow themselves to be seen as sex symbols and men should not allow themselves to shrink to the level of allowing seductive media to influence indifference to move them, and vice versa.
There is one more precaution that I would like to address. Safeguards, such as early education to our children on respect and healthy relationships, will help, as will putting more support to encourage a healthy family structure. These calls must be addressed to protect both our daughters and sons.