Disturbing evidence of sexual exploitation of female students has come to light at Bedford High School. Boys at the school have reportedly taken inappropriate photos of 11th and 12th-grade girls’ bodies, graded them, and put them on trading cards.

There has been an uproar in the community about the disgusting nature of these actions. An online petition calling for the expulsion of students involved in this case has received over 4,300 signatures.

While this event does not directly involve Saint Anselm College, it is something that everyone should care about. We as a society must continue to actively stand up against the inappropriate sexualization of women.

Speaking from a Generation Z perspective, we must take responsibility to end this treatment of women. We are facing a whole realm of unprecedented challenges that our parent’s generation did not have to face. Think about the role of technology and social media in the case of Bedford High School, and how easily a smartphone camera and social media can be used in such a malicious way.

The actions of these high schoolers may seem like the problem of another generation, but in a few very short years these kids will be applying to college. Despite seeming so much younger, they are our generation and these forms of harassment persist outside of high schools. All of us need to be on alert for signs of harassment, report incidents to the proper authorities, and stand with the victims to demand justice.