Time's Up: Written by Elsa, Anna and Kirsty - Dingwall Academy

A poem written by our Stand Up! Ambassadors that addresses 'victim blaming' and gender based violence and demands a 'zero tolerance' society

You picture their face, you quicken your pace, but there is no escape.  
From the pain in your head, that feeling of dread, inside.  
What they did was not right, their grip was too tight.  
You close your eyes but you only picture that night.  
You feel embarrassed, like it's yourself to blame, the shame.  
There are millions of you that feel the same.  
There is help out there, people who care, somewhere you can share your stories without judgement, without shame, because you are not to blame. 

Stacey was only 17 years old that night she was told that if she said no or tried to get up and go, they would spread the word, of Stacey, the sluttiest bird.  
The pain she endured is one that cannot be cured.  
Silenced by society, doesn't Stacey deserve to be happy?  
1 in 5 women are pressured into sex.  
In sexual assault, violence is the cause and consequence.  
Sexualisation of an object or person is leading us to a society worse than being raped on the street.  

OH WAIT. That is what we will meet if we do not defeat this idea of 'asking for it'.  
Because the way that you flirt, the length of your skirt is no reason for them to insert.  
Boys will be boys, will play with boys’ toys.  
Born into a world of pink or blue, conditioning genders is nothing new.  
But boys should not be boys, and people abusing them should not be white noise.  
No matter how you're told to behave, raging hormones and grabbing waists is not a teenage phase.  

RASASH is more than just a helpline. We strive for a world that doesn't define our people by the length of our hemline.  
It's up to you to make a stand, it's up to you to you to demand a zero-tolerance society. Don't we all deserve to be happy?  
For us, this is the end of our rhyme, and oh rape? You are out of time!  

Time’s Up. 

Written by Elsa, Anna and Kirsty - Dingwall Academy