Public/social responses to sexual violence against women in North America

Public/social responses occur when people speak out against injustices they have faced. In recent years public and social responses to sexual violence against women in North America seem to have drastically increased. The past year (2017/2018), especially, has been a pivotal one. We have seen women fighting against inappropriate workplace behaviours. We have heard brave women speak out against the violence and abuse they have endured. Most importantly, we have seen women coming together, and fighting together through major movements that have swept a continent. Even with protests, and movements, have we seen accountability? Have they truly had an impact? The results of change remain to be seen.

Overview

The Public/social responses in the past year that have captured the attention of the media are most notably the Women's March, which originated in Washington, D.C., and the #MeToo movement. Both movements will be touched on, as well as the results these movements have had on their strive for global change.

Sexual Violence

Sexual violence refers to any form of abuse (mental, physical, or verbal) that has taken place in a sexual manner. It is incredibly important to note that there is no direct definition of what this abuse looks like. Each sexual violence case is personal, and if a person feels they have been sexually violated then indeed they have.

Public/Social Responses

Women's March January 21 2017

The Women's March on January 21, 2017 was a direct response to the inauguration of President Trump. During Trump’s campaign, many sexual violence accusations and sexually demeaning videos towards women were released. In turn, this surrounded the now president with an extreme amount of contention towards his presidential run. Many say that Trump’s win over Hillary was a nod to the inferiority men feel towards powerful women. Trump was vocal in calling Hillary Clinton a “nasty woman” because she was outspoken. It can be said that Hillary’s loss can be attributed to the fact the “she was an expert, an educated qualified woman… threatening men’s control”. This, paired with comments made by Trump sexualizing and the demeaning woman ultimately initiated “The Woman’s March”. The march had no specific purpose, it was in support of women's rights in general. The march needed to be “multifaceted” as it was important to encompass a multitude of women’s rights given the sexist views of the new president of the United States. The main message participants of the march had hoped to exude is that "Women's issues are human issues". The march in Washington, D.C. gave way to many women's marches around the United States of America and Canada.

#MeToo Movement October 2017

The #MeToo movement became widely popular in October 2017 following sexual assault accusations made against Hollywood stars. Unknown to most, the #MeToo movement was actually founded 10 years prior by activist Tarana Burke. When launching this campaign, Burke’s intent was “to provide “empowerment through empathy” to survivors of sexual abuse, assault, exploitation, and harassment in underprivileged communities” . After Alyssa Milano publicized this movement via Twitter on October 15, 2017, people soon began to realize the “magnitude” of this issue . Not only was Hollywood deeply impacted, but this shed light on the academic and medical fields as well. It was reported that 30% of women and 4% of men experience sexual harassment in the US academic medical faculty . The #MeToo movement has empowered people to come forward, to share their stories, to speak up and know that others will hear them. We need to change the narrative that is its the accuser's fault. In order to do this, “policies, education, and training” are all required. Education is at the forefront of this change. We have seen in schools the strict and sexist dress codes made for girls . Sixth-grade girls were forced to wear shirts over their swimsuits on a school field trip, a girl was told to wear band-aids over her nipples because it was too distracting for male students . Instead of enforcing these perverted, sexist, misogynistic behaviours we should be instilling body positive teachings in children. In order to eradicate this systemic issue, we need to start with how children are taught and work from there.

Results

Even with the notoriety of these movements, there seems to not be much change. The recent election of Supreme Court Justice, Brett Kavanaugh, proved to be a huge set back in a seemingly changed system. With sexual assault allegations being fired at him, this is a man who now wields much power in the highest court of the United States of America. The judicial system in both the United States and Canada is deeply flawed. As witnessed in court proceedings in a Supreme Court in Vancouver on October 11th, 2018, the judicial system often confronts victims about their decision to stay with their abusers. Instead of empowering the victim, this places the blame on them. While these movements appear to have shifted norms, the fact of the matter is they haven't; or at least have not yet. Another contributing factor to the lack of results stems from the inability of these movements to encompass rights not pertaining to white, cisgendered females. We continually marginalize those who are disabled, with one woman writing, "As disabled women, we are constantly having to validate our existence, which is frustrating and exhausting." . Furthermore, movements such as #MeToo seem to sustain hegemonic feminism. A majority of those who have spoken out using the #MeToo seem to be white celebrities. Looking at the Women's March, "a hierarchy of human rights issues were mentioned, but injustices affecting the experience of women of color, queer women, and other women with more than one minoritized identity felt like an afterthought.". In order to anticipate real change, we need to move past any racial, non-inclusive barriers and we need to show inclusion to those who we have in the past, "left behind". In doing this, we can hopefully begin to eradicate this long standing issue. Sexual violence seems to be a curse we are unable to shake, but these movements prove that we are indeed stepping in the right direction.