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Category Archives: Sexual Assault

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.

Sexual Assault Bingo and other fun games

26 Thursday Jun 2008

Posted by avivalevin in Sexual Assault

≈ 1 Comment


I have mixed feelings about one of my random internet finds: ‘Sexual Assault Bingo’. Each square represents a different example of blaming the victim or justifying rape. Hypothetically, next time rape is mentioned and Mr. or Miss. Patriarchy throws out “It was two in the morning. What were you doing out?” or “This is going to destroy his [the perp’s] family, you understand” pull out your bingo card and go to town.

I could never see anyone who has had to go through the excruciating process of dealing with their sexual assault or that of a loved one pulling out a game (though it would definitely make a wonderful visual cue to the unenlightened that what they’re saying is trite and predictable). It seems like a subject that is too serious to mock with a game associated with Church halls and blue-tinted hair. However, as someone who has played ‘Hipster Bingo’ when at local concerts I know first hand how something so silly can call one’s attention to the predictability of stereotypes in the media and subcultures. Isn’t it sad when common threads emerge in worn-out conversations?

For instance, Andrea Rubenstein over at Official Shrub.com has a fun ‘Geek Girl Stereotype Bingo’. She explains her game like this:

Basically the rules are that when you see a media article, blog post, or anything else talking about women in relation to a geeky hobby (gaming, technology, science, etc) you pull out this scorecard and mark down which points the article touches on.

The squares cover everything from “The colour choice(s) being attractive to women” and “Talks about weight loss”. It definitely focuses your attention to the way women are portrayed and/or marketed to in the technological industry. Although I rarely read blogs or magazines about gaming or technology I do read such literary gems like People.com and US Weekly. And I’m sure some of you out there have your own niche subgenres that has some repetitive anti-feminist touches. So, Antigone Feminists, do you have any Bingos that you would like to share? Perhaps ‘Weight Loss Surgery Article Bingo’ or ‘Young Starlette Interview Bingo’ (which would definitely have the squares “she’s so down to Earth!” and “fame hasn’t changed her”).

York University Rapes

12 Wednesday Sep 2007

Posted by antigonemagazine in Sexual Assault

≈ Leave a comment

Campus security heightened in wake of sex assaults

There is a frightening story out of York University about two predators who sexually assaulted and attacked two women while they were sleeping in their dorm rooms. The ordeal that these two women endured, as well as a third women who was unsuccessfully attacked, is enough to make me absolutely sick. What type of people would do this? How can we ensure that our campuses are safe from attacks like this?

Campus police have doubled patrols and authorities have posted alerts across campus advising women to be vigilant with their personal safety.

“I’m pretty sure it happened on our campus pub night when there are a lot of people around,” student Jillian Owen told CTV News. “I guess they just slipped through.”

According to authorities, two men entered Vanier College residence located on Keele Street near Steeles Avenue West in the early hours of Friday morning.

They sexually assaulted two 19-year-old women who were asleep in their unlocked dorm rooms, and made a failed attack on a third female within the residence.

University officials say they are reviewing residence security measures in the wake of the attacks.

“We do have porters on the doors who are supposed to make sure individuals sign in,” said university spokesperson Alex Bilyx. “However, people are in a new environment and they may sometimes forget that.”

Police confirmed two women were taken to hospital, treated and later released.

The suspects entered six rooms in total but were eventually scared off.

Police described the two suspects as both white and in their early 20s: one was medium height with short dark hair and a dark complexion, and wore blue jeans and white running shoes; the other was about six-feet tall, had short light-coloured hair and also wore blue jeans.

Detectives with the Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit said the rapes were particularly disturbing because there were two attackers working together within a short period of time.

A spokesperson from the York Federation of Students said she is pleased with the way the institution is handling the situation.

York University, and the surrounding area, has been plagued by a number of sexual assaults in recent history. A woman was sexually assaulted in April while walking to her residence, and two women were raped in the same area of the city in 2006.

Two other women were assaulted in 2000 close to campus, while another woman was also attacked on campus within the same year.

“I think you should be locking your door when you go to bed,” said student Karen Dias. “I would never sleep with the door open.”

Last week, a 23-year-old woman was viciously raped and beaten unconscious in a Carleton University chemistry lab in Ottawa.

York University Rapes

12 Wednesday Sep 2007

Posted by Amanda in Sexual Assault

≈ Leave a comment

Campus security heightened in wake of sex assaults

There is a frightening story out of York University about two predators who sexually assaulted and attacked two women while they were sleeping in their dorm rooms. The ordeal that these two women endured, as well as a third women who was unsuccessfully attacked, is enough to make me absolutely sick. What type of people would do this? How can we ensure that our campuses are safe from attacks like this?

Campus police have doubled patrols and authorities have posted alerts across campus advising women to be vigilant with their personal safety.

“I’m pretty sure it happened on our campus pub night when there are a lot of people around,” student Jillian Owen told CTV News. “I guess they just slipped through.”

According to authorities, two men entered Vanier College residence located on Keele Street near Steeles Avenue West in the early hours of Friday morning.

They sexually assaulted two 19-year-old women who were asleep in their unlocked dorm rooms, and made a failed attack on a third female within the residence.

University officials say they are reviewing residence security measures in the wake of the attacks.

“We do have porters on the doors who are supposed to make sure individuals sign in,” said university spokesperson Alex Bilyx. “However, people are in a new environment and they may sometimes forget that.”

Police confirmed two women were taken to hospital, treated and later released.

The suspects entered six rooms in total but were eventually scared off.

Police described the two suspects as both white and in their early 20s: one was medium height with short dark hair and a dark complexion, and wore blue jeans and white running shoes; the other was about six-feet tall, had short light-coloured hair and also wore blue jeans.

Detectives with the Toronto Police Sex Crimes Unit said the rapes were particularly disturbing because there were two attackers working together within a short period of time.

A spokesperson from the York Federation of Students said she is pleased with the way the institution is handling the situation.

York University, and the surrounding area, has been plagued by a number of sexual assaults in recent history. A woman was sexually assaulted in April while walking to her residence, and two women were raped in the same area of the city in 2006.

Two other women were assaulted in 2000 close to campus, while another woman was also attacked on campus within the same year.

“I think you should be locking your door when you go to bed,” said student Karen Dias. “I would never sleep with the door open.”

Last week, a 23-year-old woman was viciously raped and beaten unconscious in a Carleton University chemistry lab in Ottawa.

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