How would you react if you witnessed an assault?

For context, I’m a victim of rape and multiple other assaults. As a method of healing, I’m attempting to advocate and educate on preventative measure and calling for communal help to keep each other safe.

Taking this on has placed me as a target for rape threats, anger and frustration, both online and in person.

I’m sorry that so many men feel so shunned. I feel like the constant outlet for men who feel abandoned to release their frustration on. I try to meditate these situations and handle them with kindness and empathy but it hurts.

I hear your anger, I want to help. The common sentiment I get when asking for advocacy is ‘Why should I care about your issues, you don’t care about mine’.

My answer is that at least, I, the individual, do care. I’m upset, I’m very sad that men feel so guarded and individualistic. That empathy is a luxury, you feel you can’t afford.

My intention is to open up healthy dialogue about your perspective, fears and hesitation to aiding me. Please express what’s caused your discomfort, I’ll try to answer with insightful responses too if you have any questions about my experiences and perspectives.

Edit for clarity: Thank you commenters for starting the conversation and sharing your own experiences with this situation. The overall consensus that I’m witnessing is that intervention causes you to become the subject of a dangerous situation.

These experiences demonstrate the overall lack of advocacy any of us have against situations of violence.

The main point of my advocacy is open discussion. How do you feel? Would you like to help but feel unable to? Ideally what would you want to do? What do you wish would happen?

By the time these situations become violent, they are out of control and there will be victims. I believe that through discussing our collective feelings on violence and shaming actions that lead to victimization there is less room for violence to go unanswered.