Trigger warning: This story examines women’s experiences with sexual assault and how women are advocating for a safer environment for students. Names have been changed or abbreviated in order to protect student privacy.
Some experiences simply can’t be understood by looking at the stats.
Statistics Canada (2004) estimates that less than one out of 10 sexual assaults will come to the attention of the police and overall, actual victimization is much higher than official statistics.
In 2012, McMaster Campus Security reported three sexual assaults, but if national statistics are any indication, this number could be a gross underestimate of the total number of sexual assaults experienced by Mac students.
The Silhouette spoke with several individuals associated with advocacy efforts, as well as survivors of sexual assault. Their stories reflected how sexual assault is largely unacknowledged among students and the university community.
A., a woman involved with social justice on campus, explained how her own peer group saw rape as something that happens and should be addressed. But she explained attitudes among the general student body varied: “people are horrified by rape and sexual assault. But no one wants to label it. And it something that needs to be spoken about but isn’t.”
While events like SlutWalk have tried to build mainstream awareness about “slut shaming” and victim-blaming, students often still face an alienating and stigmatizing environment on campus among their peers.
Survivors interviewed reported that rape jokes were prevalent in their peer groups and that they would commonly be accused of exaggerating their experience or told that it “wasn’t a big deal” or that they were “just drunk.”
Sarah, a sexual assault survivor, emphasized how common victim blaming is among students.
“Questions such as, ‘why was she walking home alone in the first place?’, ‘was she drunk? ‘ or ‘was she wearing a skanky outfit?’ come to mind immediately. Victim blaming is never okay and it’s very hurtful for me to hear comments like that.”
Others suggested that the stigma has been perpetuated in the reporting process and discrimination occurs through the entire legal system.
A. explained how criminal law unfairly classifies sexual assault by levels. These levels place unequivocal emphasis on certain types of assault while negating others.
“I haven’t yet seen an approach within the law that is appropriate. It’s a hierarchy of hurt. Being raped isn’t a simple thing, [it’s not something] you can put levels on. [Categorization] doesn’t put emphasis on a lifetime of pain.”
Similarly, Sarah expressed her disgust at how the legal system approached survivors and their experiences.
“One of the big problems is that when an officer is dealing with sexual assault they tend to ask questions such as, ‘were you drunk?’, ‘did you make advances on your own?’ and ‘did you say no clearly’, which lead to the victim feeling like they themselves are on the stand for the crime. That is not okay.”
Jyssika, QSCC Co-ordinator, also described how security concerns remain a huge issue on campus.
“We have measures in place like SWHAT and the red emergency posts on campus. But places where we’re most susceptible, like coming out of labs at night or secluded spaces in the library, we have nothing.”
While the people interviewed spoke from different perspectives, they all concluded that access to resources remains limited for students.
Sarah described how she did not seek help for one of her assaults because she feared being judged and as a result became depressed and has a diagnosed anxiety disorder.
“As a survivor I know what it feel like to feel unsafe going to a regular health centre, so I 100 per cent support a woman and trans* centre on campus.”
Jyssika described how QSCC operated one of the few consistent “safe spaces” on campus. She emphasized how a safe space for anyone who has experienced sexual violence would provide a specific and much needed forum for outreach and a channel to connect survivors with resources.
“To the young men of the McMaster community: We do not think that every single one of you are out there to sexually assault us but there is absolutely no way for us to tell the difference when we first meet you. So next time a female doesn’t respond to your ‘Hello’ on the street, especially after dark, instead of calling her a ‘bitch’ or saying she is rude, take into account that she does have the right to not say anything to you if she doesn’t want to,” concluded Sarah.
While survivor’s stories remain only partially told, a willingness and commitment to open up campus dialogue seems apparent.
McMaster joins the One Billion Rising
It’s simple math, really.
There are about six billion people on the earth, half of whom are women. And according to a report from the United Nations Development Fund for Women, one in three women will experience some form of sexual violence or harassment in her lifetime.
Activist Eve Ensler did the math. And because one billion women in the world would be affected, she decided it was time to do something about it.
Ensler, who wrote the controversial play The Vagina Monologues, is the founder of V-Day, a global day of activism on Feb. 14 to end violence against women. 2013 marks the fifteenth anniversary of V-Day and will see the launch of her newest project, called One Billion Rising (OBR).
OBR is designed to be an international phenomenon that will involve groups of women occupying public spaces and dancing.
Upon hearing about the movement, McMaster activists wanted to get in on the action.
“Not only is this to raise awareness, but it’s to celebrate women and girls,” explained TJ Jamieson, fourth-year nursing student and project director at Feminist Alliance McMaster (FAM). The McMaster event, which will take place in the MUSC Atrium in the afternoon of Feb. 14, will feature Zumba and belly dancing lessons, a flash mob, and an evening dance party.
“We didn’t want to be doom and gloom,” Jamieson said. “Obviously [sexual assault] is a very stoic subject, but we also wanted to include that women are amazing.”
The event will be hosted in collaboration between FAM and I Am Woman, a newly formed women’s interest group on campus that identifies itself as a “communicative link” between the variety of women’s campaigns. Hamilton’s own YWCA and Sexual Assault Centre for the Hamilton Area (SACHA) are also partners in organizing. While the event is focused on women, people of all gender identities are encouraged to attend.
“We are hoping for a lot of people to show up,” said Faiza Shafaqat, president of I Am Woman. Shafaqat, a third-year biopsych student, joked that “instead of sitting at home and eating chocolate by myself, I’ll be supporting this and raising awareness about violence against women.” She added that the feedback they have gotten so far has been “amazingly positive.”
OBR is not without its critics, however. Feminist activists from outside North America have called the international movement “imperialist” for its alleged theme of the superiority of Western culture.
And even at McMaster itself, there has been some criticism.
“People deeply involved in the feminist movement can be a little bit condescending towards this event because it’s dancing—you know, what can that do against violence against women?” said Amy Hutchison, second-year math and stats student and president of FAM.
“But my response and the response I’ve heard from others is that you also have to have fun.”
The choice of dance as the medium for the event is not only for the fun of it, though; Ensler and the movement’s proponents wanted to highlight the use of dance as a creative form of protest, as well as a means of healing for women affected by sexual violence.
Hutchinson and her co-organizers hope that participants will gain a sense of global connection, as well as a positive relationship with activism.
“No one’s saying that you have to stop violence against women, as if after February 14, when people dance, there will be no violence,” she said.
“Women need a chance to come together and see that one billion of us all supporting each other and dancing [is a good thing], and dance is a really expressive and artistic way to show that.”
Farzeen Foda
Senior News Editor
In cooperation with the YWCA Hamilton and McMaster University, the McMaster Students Union hosted on March 6 the first ever International Women’s Summit in light of International Women’s Day.
International Women’s Day takes place this year on March 8.
With the goal of bringing down the barriers that continue to hinder the advancement of women in society, the event saw insightful messages of inspiration and anecdotes from guest speakers and attendees.
Six panellists coming from an array of backgrounds spoke about how they tackled the barriers they faced in the pursuit of their goals: Carys Massarella, president of the Medical Staff Association at St. Jospeh’s Hospital and the first transgendered person to be president of a major hospital; Nora Loreto, former Ryerson Student Union President; Ava Hill, Mohawk native and aboriginal affairs leader; Marva Wisdom, former political candidate; Charlotte Yates, dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Kim Crosby, co-founder of The People Project.
The evening began with a keynote address from Sheila Deane, professor at the University of Western Ontario, and Denise Doyle, CEO of YWCA Hamilton. Deane discussed her astonishment with the poor female representation in the literary world and the subsequent reaction by fellow professors to literary work by women.
Doyle spoke of the need to encourage and support women as they take on leadership roles, referencing the experience of a close friend of hers, current NDP leader Andrea Horwath.
Both speakers acknowledged that it is simplistic to say that we need more women in power. The challenge arises in voicing and acting upon the need for equality.
Doyle expressed that while women may be found in prominent positions they are too often silenced and are not the ones, “shaking the agendas.” The role of universities does not stop at simply educating women, but must also push the boundaries rather than reinforce them, noted Deane.
The six panellists addressed an array of issues plaguing the advancement of women in our progressive modern society. Massarella spoke of her transgender experience and how her transition impacted her career as a doctor. She found that she was not as highly regarded as she once was as a practicing male physician. “I experienced some new barriers which I never expected,” she said.
Loreto shared her tumultuous experience as a student representative of Ryerson University finding herself amidst controversy at the university which subsequently led to threats to her safety.
Hill has held numerous leadership positions in Aboriginal Affairs. As a young girl, she was not encouraged to continue her education, but now as a single mother, has encouraged her daughter to pursue higher education and support Aboriginal issues.
Wisdom shared her gruelling experience in politics as a woman of colour and spoke to “the fierce urgency of now,” stressing that there is no gain in waiting for change.
Growing up with a strong female presence, Yates shared her experience as a young woman seeking employment in construction. She was questioned and doubted but persevered and landed the position, after which she found herself as one
of the only women in her PhD class. She stressed the need for women to hold onto the support of each other, and avoid feeling compelled to choose between a focus on either a career or family life, explaining that it is possible to strike a balance.
She discussed some of the narrow-minded commentary she recieved upon taking maternity leave as some regarded maternity leave as taking an easy break.
Coming from an extremely diverse lineage and comfortable with being a “femme girl,” Crosby stood against those who questioned her ability to perform her job simply because she enjoys dressing and acting like a girl. Crosby works in a range of settings, with the common theme of advising and counselling at-risk populations. “I can wear eyeliner and be a leader too,” she said defiantly.
The event was hosted in an effort to encourage more women to be active participants around decision-making tables. Canada currently stands in 40th place worldwide with respect to female representation in Parliament, falling behind such countries as Libiria.
For the MSU, the 2011/2012 academic year marks the first time that the Board of Directors, composed of the president and three vice-presidents, has both genders equally represented, noted former MSU president Mary Koziol.
Supported by personal anecdotes, statistics and research findings, it remains evident that better female representation and inclusion can yield positive results. Anecdotes, research and statistics however, only too often show that movement in this positive direction is not happening at an excusable rate.
