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Category Archives: Rape

The Feminist Freethinker: Take Back the Night edition

23 Monday Nov 2009

Posted by RB in feminist freethinker, Rape, Sexual Assault, stereotypes, women's issues

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

culture, power, Rape, relationships, Sexual Assault, women's issues

The “Take Back the Night” campaign to end sexual assault and abuse has the best intentions. But it is problematic because it perpetuates the idea that women’s sexual assault and abuse follows the dark night, man-behind-the bushes-with-a-knife narrative. In reality, the “night” is a constructed demon. All too often abusers closely mimic the warmth and appearance of sunshine.

Traditional stereotypes for profiling bad guys completely fail us when it comes to identifying abusers. Abusers come in all shapes and sizes, and oftentimes they capitalize on their normal appearance and normative success in order to persuade us of their goodness. The “Take Back the Night” campaign is a symbolic reduction—an oversimplification—of the experience of assault and abuse. It implies that women are assaulted suddenly by a stranger when they are alone at night.  In reality assault and abuse can be short to long term projects where the predator chips away at the victim’s protective walls. According to Statistics Canada, 80% of sexual assault survivors knew their abusers (Statistics Canada 2003). Assault and abuse are usually psychological as well as physical projects, leaving the victim distressed with complicated grief.

So it isn’t a particular profile or scene we need to avoid in order to protect ourselves. Instead, it is a particular pattern within our existing relationships that we need to look for: a pattern of power asymmetry. Sexual assault and abuse is a function of unequal pattern relations; it happens when the abuser establishes dominance over you. We need to work on strengthening our discriminatory power until we become pros at identifying the problematic power structures that constitute assault or abuse. The fact is that women are not educated enough about their rights. Certainly, we are familiar with and celebrate the equality we are entitled to in politics and law, but many of us forget that we are entitled to the same equality in the relationships that comprise our everyday lives.

Inequality in romantic relationships has become so normalized in our culture that we now romanticize the idea of the man that yields power over us. The popular Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer portrays power asymmetry as an enviable relationship dynamic. Bella’s obsession with Edward shows that he yields enormous power over her, and his paternalistic babysitting is patronizing. The idealization of an unequal power relationship sends a negative message to women. Women today should be taught that a healthy relationship should leave them feeling empowered, not disempowered.

In preparation for the traditional rape narrative we have rape whistles. But there is no simple tool for blowing the whistle on everyday toxic relationships. We want to ask you if you have any ideas on how we can help facilitate a better understanding of the importance of power symmetry in relationships. You can suggest a conceptual theory, a slogan, or even a symbolic artefact.

Gang Rape in Darfur… I have no words.

29 Tuesday May 2007

Posted by antigonemagazine in Darfur, Rape

≈ Leave a comment

There is nothing that I can say about this that can possibly contextualize it or explain it. I will therefore not say anything and let the words and stories of the victims speak for themselves. Here are some quotes from this story about rape in Darfur:

The seven women pooled money to rent a donkey and cart, then ventured out of the refugee camp to gather firewood, hoping to sell it for cash to feed their families. Instead, they say, in a wooded area just a few hours walk away, they were gang-raped, beaten and robbed.

“All the time it lasted, I kept thinking: They‘re killing my baby, they‘re killing my baby,” wailed Aisha, who was seven months pregnant at the time.

[….]

The women said they set out on a Monday morning last July and had barely begun collecting the wood when 10 Arabs on camels surrounded them, shouting insults and shooting their rifles in the air.

The women first attempted to flee. “But I didn‘t even try, because I couldn‘t run,” being seven months pregnant, said Aisha, a petite 18-year-old whose raspy voice sounds more like that of an old woman.

She said four men stayed behind to flay her with sticks, while the other janjaweed chased down the rest of her group.

“We didn‘t get very far,” said Maryam, displaying the scar of a bullet that hit her on the right knee.

Once rounded up, the women said, they were beaten and their rented donkey killed. Zahya, 30, had brought her 18-year-old daughter, Fatmya, and her baby. The baby was thrown to the ground and both women were raped. The baby survived.

Zahya said the women were lined up and assaulted side by side, and she saw four men taking turns raping Aisha. The women said the attackers then stripped them naked and jeered at them as they fled.

Another Post on Why Rape is Not Funny…

09 Monday Apr 2007

Posted by antigonemagazine in Rape

≈ 1 Comment

Since we’re on the subject, I came across this great documentary the other day called “No“. The documentary addresses issues of rape in African-American communities:

Eleven years in the making, NO! unveils the reality of rape, other forms of sexual violence, and healing in African-American communities, through intimate testimonies from Black women victim/survivors, commentaries from acclaimed African-American scholars and community leaders, archival footage, spirited music, dance, and performance poetry. NO! also examines how rape is used as a weapon of homophobia.

The documentary seems very interesting and I was very moved watching the trailer… which can be seen on You Tube

Another Post on Why Rape is Not Funny…

09 Monday Apr 2007

Posted by Amanda in Rape

≈ Leave a comment

Since we’re on the subject, I came across this great documentary the other day called “No“. The documentary addresses issues of rape in African-American communities:

Eleven years in the making, NO! unveils the reality of rape, other forms of sexual violence, and healing in African-American communities, through intimate testimonies from Black women victim/survivors, commentaries from acclaimed African-American scholars and community leaders, archival footage, spirited music, dance, and performance poetry. NO! also examines how rape is used as a weapon of homophobia.

The documentary seems very interesting and I was very moved watching the trailer… which can be seen on You Tube

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