My Views, My Thoughts: #JusticeForKenneka

Recently on Twitter, I saw the hashtag #JusticeForKenneka, then I saw it again and again so I clicked on it to see what it was about. Kenneka Jenkins was a 19-year-old girl found dead in a freezer in a Chicago hotel after attending a party there to celebrate her new job. Her mother is claiming there was foul play and the police are investigating but leaning towards the theory that she locked herself in the freezer when she was drunk. I guess the reason why I along with so many people on social media wanted to know what happened to her is because I can see myself in her. She was 19 about to start her career life and decided to celebrate with friends. This is why the story about what happened to her is even scarier. But, what really caught social media's attention was a video of the party that one of her friends, Monifa Shelton, put on the Facebook. In the video some are saying the high pitch sound you can hear is Kenneka Jenkins saying "help me" as she's being raped to which Shelton (the person filming) responds by turning up the music. Now, yes I'm interested in finding out what really happened to Jenkins but my real issue is the online response to the rape allegation. 

Kenneka Jenkins

Rape culture in our society places the blame on the survivors and therefore this affects how we educate people on rape. There's always something the survivor could have done to prevent it or some way they provoke the predator. I've seen countless tweets blaming Kenneka Jenkins for being drunk, for having untrustworthy friends, for going to a party and more. Blaming her for potentially being raped and then murdered. But whether she was too drunk or not, whether her friends were fake or not, whether she had gone to a party or not it was not her fault. To be blunt there are people that are raped in broad daylight and when sober. Statistically you're actually more likely to be assaulted by someone you know. 

As a young woman, who went to a girls' school and lives in a house full of women I've heard this type of 'advice' throughout my life. Thanks to the internet even my grandma gives me lectures about date rape drugs in drinks every time I go out. Just to be clear, yes you need to be careful because there are predators out there but there should be equal if not more conversations towards boys. During my freshers’ week at uni I attended there was an event where a policeman was giving advice about how to stay safe on campus who to call if you were in trouble. He spoke to me about being safe especially as crime against women is always higher in cities etc., and then he gave me two rape whistles (one and a spare) and sent me on my way. While I was there I didn't see him talk to a single boy. While men can also be victims of rape in England and Wales about 85,000 women vs 12,000 men are raped yearly, so it makes sense that most advice is targeted towards women but this also means that men also need to be educated. A key fact to remember is that unlike other violent crimes like murder, the majority of rape victims never report the crime so statistics show the minimum, that’s concerning. This means that at least 85,000 men need to be educated and told that forcing a woman to have sex is wrong and illegal. But, no instead as a society we tell the girls to be careful and blame them for not being careful enough if they get attacked.

Now, as a young woman I do try my best to avoid situations that could potentially put me at risk but I shouldn't have to. Education about consent is desperately needed. Yes, there are cases of false accusations but this only makes up 3% of total allegations so the majority aren't false and don't forget this 3% of the total rapes reported not the actual amount that occur. No means no, regardless of how close you are to having sex, after that point it is rape.

Any questions, comments DM me on twitter @heyheyitsjadee or leave a comment.