There is an underlying dystopian society that our country is covering up. Women are selling themselves to survive and law enforcement are stripping human beings of their only belongings. The housing is insufficient, unclean, and all together dangerous. This is being homeless in America. Our country, built on hope and the American dream, is hiding and trying to justify the injustices its placing on its citizens. It is imperative that homeless citizens are not penalized by the law, are provided with safe shelters, and are aware of the sexual assault risks in their lives.
Cities are wrongly making it illegal to be homeless. Laws in place criminalize sleeping in public, panhandling, loitering, and even sitting down in certain areas. The cities …show more content…
Whereas rape rates are lower in men than women, there is sexual assault all throughout the homeless community. It can also be emotional trauma stacked atop one another. Only 8 percent of homeless mothers hadn’t experienced any form of sexual assault in their lives starting from childhood and leading into adulthood. (Goodman, Lisa A. 3) The frequency of the rapes of women without homes are far too great for the world to claim it’s not an issue. 13% of homeless women reported having been raped in the past 12 months and half of these were raped at least twice (Wenzel, et al., 2000). In another study, 9% of homeless women reported at least one experience of sexual victimization in the last month (Wenzel, Koegel & Gelberg, 2000). Some women however, are a part of sexual exploitation because they need to in order to survive on the streets. This is called “survival sex” and is a form of prostitution that can provide vital protection or money to keep a woman alive during a displacement. Women have also sold their bodies in exchange for medicine or shelter that they have no way of getting without this victimization. It can be intimidating to report a rape to thee very police officers that have arrested you before for panhandling when it is already seen as an unimportant and victim blamed crime. Homeless people are looked down upon and blamed even more than the average rape victim.
Cities are wrongly making it illegal to be homeless. Laws in place criminalize sleeping in public, panhandling, loitering, and even sitting down in certain areas. The cities …show more content…
Whereas rape rates are lower in men than women, there is sexual assault all throughout the homeless community. It can also be emotional trauma stacked atop one another. Only 8 percent of homeless mothers hadn’t experienced any form of sexual assault in their lives starting from childhood and leading into adulthood. (Goodman, Lisa A. 3) The frequency of the rapes of women without homes are far too great for the world to claim it’s not an issue. 13% of homeless women reported having been raped in the past 12 months and half of these were raped at least twice (Wenzel, et al., 2000). In another study, 9% of homeless women reported at least one experience of sexual victimization in the last month (Wenzel, Koegel & Gelberg, 2000). Some women however, are a part of sexual exploitation because they need to in order to survive on the streets. This is called “survival sex” and is a form of prostitution that can provide vital protection or money to keep a woman alive during a displacement. Women have also sold their bodies in exchange for medicine or shelter that they have no way of getting without this victimization. It can be intimidating to report a rape to thee very police officers that have arrested you before for panhandling when it is already seen as an unimportant and victim blamed crime. Homeless people are looked down upon and blamed even more than the average rape victim.