Fourteen-year-old Elena Lyons is on a mission. She's a survivor of sexual assault, and is determined to stop a video game that allows the player to sexually assault women and underage girls. It's called Rapelay.
Elena called News 2 wanting to share her story to help raise awareness about the video game. She was sexually assaulted by a non family member at the age of eight, and is now speaking out. She says, "I am a survivor of three years of childhood sexual abuse. I found a game on line called Rapelay and I decided I needed to stop the game."
The video game is graphic, and allows the player to rape women and underage girls, all with the click of the mouse. Elena describes how she felt when she first saw the game. She says, "I was very angry and sad. I was very distraught, and outraged, and it really bothered me and made me depressed and upset to hear this game would even be made. I know what it feels like to go through this. It was very upsetting because no one should ever have to go through that. This game is wrong. It needs to be stopped. No game like this should ever be put out there. Rape is not a joke. People seem to think that it is. They don't take it seriously, but rape isn't a joke. It is very hurtful."
Elena is taking action. She says, "I've planned a walk to stop the game. I have a friend who will be doing it in Oregon, and we're trying to get someone to do it in California as well." She is also organizing a petition, and talks to other survivors on a Facebook page she started. Elena says, "So many survivors of rape and domestic violence are afraid to speak out against what has happened to them, because not only is it embarrassing, it's scary, always scared something else is going to happen to you, and I want to show people who have gone through this, that it's o.k. to stand up for whats right. It's ok to stand up against rape and not to be afraid."
Elena says she plans to contact local leaders and other lawmakers. Details are still being worked out, but right now, the walk is planned for November 10th.
The game is produced in Japan. The women's rights organization, Equality Now successfully campaigned to have the game removed from store shelves, but it can still be downloaded online.
If you would like more information about Elena's efforts, you can send her a message on Facebook at Elena Carson-Callander, or Twitter at Callandergurl95.
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