Ithaca College student calls graphic attention to campus rape for #KnowNo campaign
The public has been outraged by the recent early release of Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer convicted of sexual assault who received a light sentence for a crime that many feel should have sent him behind bars for years.
That outrage, and the recent highlighting of campus sexual assault in general, has sparked many to lash out. First came the campaign, #KnowNo, which helped raise awareness of sexual consent.
Ithaca College student, Yana Mazurkevich, has taken the fight against unlawful sexual assault one step further with a series of provocative, unflinching and NSFW photos titled “It Happens.”
Mazurkevich, 20, a photographer, staged disturbing scenes of people – men and women in various situations – getting sexually assaulted, with the words It Happens, followed by words to reflect the scene, like “It Happens With Anyone,” which features a girl being seemingly molested by a college hookup as she looks on helplessly towards the camera. Or “It Happens To Anyone,” with a lacrosse player getting bent over in sexual assault by what appears to be a teammate as he looks blankly at the lens.
“The photos are asking you to put yourself in their shoes,” said Mazurkevich to Mic. She added that the blank looks of the victims make you think they are pleading for help.
The photos are on Current Solutions, but are getting wider recognition as more media outlets cover the campaign. The photos make one stare and take recognition that sexual assault can happen anywhere, with anyone, and people need to be aware. It is also helping raise awareness through social media as people share their stories on Current Solutions and on Mazurkevich’s page.
She hopes the photos continue to spark dialogue regarding sexual assault so the perpetrators don’t continue to get away with their crimes.