Sexual violence touches many people, of all ages, but there seems to be an epidemic of sexual violence against our girls and young ladies. Unfortunately, our society doesn't encourage young ladies to speak out about their experiences, but I'm here to tell you that it's okay to speak out, because the things that have happened to you are absolutely not okay. No matter what your attacker has told you, any physical or sexual contact without your express consent is abuse and not only is it morally wrong, but it is illegal. There are countless resources out there to help you. Often, girls and young ladies experiencing sexual assault are encouraged to turn to their families or religious leaders. However, often, these are the perpetrators of the violence and the ones telling young women to remain silent. This isn't okay.

If you're a girl or young woman in this situation, you can call the police, a sexual assault hotline, or even tell an adult you trust at school. All of these people are here to help, and even though it might be difficult to trust adults after what's happened to you, many adults are reliable and here to make sure you're safe and healthy. Always remember that if you're a survivor of sexual assault or violence, it's not your fault.  You had no control over what happened to you, and you're in no way responsible for the crimes committed against you.  This is an incredibly difficult thing to get over, especially for young girls, but speaking out is often the first step toward healing. Your courage in speaking out about your experiences can both put your attackers behind bars and show other young women that it's okay to break away from their attackers and tell their stories. The courage of young girls to speak out about their experiences is what's putting attackers in jail.

The Diamond Mindset

Your mind is much more powerful than you can ever imagine, partly because society doesn't tell women that their minds are very important or worth working on. This is a problem and shouldn't be subscribed to. This idea that women are only good for their bodies dates back thousands of years and is still causing problems for women today.You know that you're worth much more than just your body; your mind is an invaluable asset.The only people that tell you that your mind and brainpower isn't worth anything are the people that are scared of what you can do with it.

You have the ability to dream, imagine, create, critique, and question everything around you with just the power of your mind. When you think about it, just those five abilities allow for endless possibilities, without even mentioning everything else you can do with just your mind. Your mind allows you to take control of your life and your situation and turn it into something that makes you happy and benefits you. It allows you to look critically at the society you live in that tells women they should be seen and not heard; that they are good for their bodies and not their minds.

Use your infinite brainpower to fight back against these ideas and achieve anything you want. Women like Oprah Winfrey, Sheryl Sandberg, and even Beyoncé have been doing this for their whole lives, and they are now strong, powerful, influential women. You have every single ability that they do, no matter where you're from. They had the mindset that they would be great, successful women, and they achieved just that. They're each changing the world for the better, and it all started with the way they think about themselves and the world around them. You have every ability to follow in their footsteps and be just as great, if not greater.