It's Time To Stop Using Sexual Assault and Rape In YA as 'Plot Development' or 'Character Personality Shifts'

I've lost count how many times I've read a young adult novel where the main character is trapped in a scene that has them fighting off somebody who's made a sexual pass at them, and I am willing to bet that you've read a scene exactly like that recently too. A scene of somebody being pressured into a situation they don't want to be in, being 'convinced' that what one person wants, they want too, having to forcibly shout, scream and beg for somebody to stop what they think is acceptable. I've read scenes like these one too many times, and I've reached breaking point.

Is this the kind of message we want to send to young readers - 'sexual assault and rape is a plot development in your life' - something that we should all have some sort of experience of to appreciate? That, in order to make it anywhere in life, you have to have been through something horrific and life changing and get through it forever changed, forever affected, to become the person we're meant to be? I know it's not the message I want to send, because I know how it feels..

At the age of 13, I became a victim of sexual assault.

Of course, I didn't know or understand this at the time. I was in a relationship, albeit a naive one with a super sweet guy, but his best friend wasn't qute so sweet, and it's his disrespect for me and my feelings, my protests of no, my whimpers and my heartbreak that turned my life upside down.

I was held beneath him, trapped.
I was blackmailed to perform acts on him.
I was abused, assaulted, hurt, and a victim.

It's without a doubt one of the most traumatic and most harrowing experiences of my life, but it had everlasting repercussions. When I shared my experience with close friends, I wasn't believed, I was branded a cheat, a slut, and a whore. I was the biggest gossip going. I was a story spread in the corridors of school, and I was watched by teachers for bad behaviour.

While I wish I'd known or understood what happened to me then, because I can say for certain it changed how I developed growing up. Relationships have never been a strong suit of mine, and none of my sexual experiences have been all that positive. I've suffered from mental illnesses and have become an entirely different person than I may have become had I not suffered from that sexual assault, and yet I only see what a difference it's made when I read the same terrible experiences suffered by characters in young adult and how they deal, or don't deal with the issue themselves.

Too many young adult novels gloss over sexual assault and rape as 'plot advancements' or character development to encourage personality shifts or romantic affections. This is not the best way to discuss this issue, and two memorable reads of 2014 brought this to light for me even more..

While I actually quite enjoyed Love Bomb by Jenny McLachlan and talked briefly about the issue when it was released, it's a really bad example of a sexual assault experience having a lasting impact on the rather young and impressionable main character, only to lead her into a relationship down the line with no lasting feeling or emotions.

One of the scenes involves the main character and her 'love interest' heading into a bedroom, something the main character is shown to be uncomfortable doing, and then later, encouraged to sit on his bed. This could quite easily be a show of nerves, understandably so, it's her first real relationship, but when kissing and touching certain body parts is taken too far, affecting her confidence and comfort, actions that are stated as being unwanted by the character, they're entirely shrugged off as 'a learning curve of the teenage years'.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the main character is made to feel as though the experience was her fault, that she'd done something wrong, tor disappointed said 'love interest', implying that she should have been more open about the experience, even if she didn't want to be part of it. The most heartbreaking part is that she never actually speaks to anyone about the whole experience, and the 'love interest' in question is never punished for his actions..

We Are All Made of Molecules by Susin Nielsen also touched upon similar experiences, and although these are actually explored in more depth, they're never explored like they should have been, and it contributed hugely to my feelings towards the novel when I read it.

The main female character is first told that her 'boyfriend's' parents will be home when plans are made to meet at the 'love interests' house, only to later be told upon arrival that they are not there. Almost unsurprisingly, the 'love interest' then encourages alcohol towards the female main character, something she naively agrees to, and then later tries to encourage her to embark in sexual activities she makes clear she doesn't wish to be involved in.

Words such as 'no' and 'stop' are used frequently, and once the traumatic experience is over with, the female character is later left questioning whether the 'love interests' apology was for the actions he took upon her, or because he couldn't continue with them. Later in the novel, the female main character is plied with more alcohol at a party with 'love interest' who has already proven his intentions, and is taken into bed with not one, but two males who are clearly nowhere near as intoxicated as she is, and then proceed to determine whether she is aware enough to take part in sexual activities with her.

When it becomes clear that she is not, they proceed to attempt to undress her, take photographic evidence and then leave her unattended, vulnerable and almost unconscious, only for her younger sibling to find her. The female character does, eventually, speak to people about the experience, and while legal proceedings almost take place, lack of evidence proves to be a standing factor and the accusations are dropped. Public people of power, both in a school and legal environment are made aware of these actions, yet once again, the 'love interest' is never punished for his actions, despite witness accounts..

These moments and scenes taken out of the novels in questions may seem rather small in comparison to the actual novels themselves, but they speak volumes when pinpointed and separated from the rest of the writing, which only goes to show societies lack of understanding about these experiences. They're easily dismissed as a plot device, or as a way for a character to change their personality, or for a relationship to occur with somebody else, rather than actually be delved into in a much deeper, much more positive way. Jamie of Perpetual Pageturner asked whether it's the authors responsibility to make sure that important topics are given the right message in fiction, and in this case, I say yes, it is.

You can't feature rape or sexual assault in young adult novels and not make clear that these actions are wrong, and worse illegal. You can not bring up these moments and not make clear that it's not just a part of growing up and learning more about yourself, that it's actually something abnormal, something victims should talk to people about, and find justice for. If we don't, how can we expect society to take the real life cases of sexual assault and rape seriously?

You can't, and shouldn't shrug of these types of abuse, because by doing so, you help feed the wrong impression, and create more innocent victims who don't see that what's happened is not okay. These 'love interests' were never punished, were romanticised, and were further allowed to be involved in the victim's life, with no consideration of it might affect them in future, from their trust and emotional interests with others, to their confidence and comfortableness in society, to serious mental issues due to trauma. You can't write about these subjects and not call it what it is. It's time we stopped using sexual assault and rape as a plot and treated it with the sensitivity and honesty it deserves.

How Do You Feel About the Use of Sexual Assault and Rape in Fiction?