For over 40 years, the Sexual Assault Centre for Hamilton Area has been working diligently to support survivors and to end sexual violence.
Through services including a 24-hour support line, individual or group counselling and advocacy program, public prevention education, and a Diverse Communities Outreach program that offers supportive programming for Hamilton’s diverse racial and cultural communities, SACHA aims to “challenge the social and political structures that contribute to the violence, oppression, and exploitation of all people”.
“It’s really important that we have independent, community-based, sexual assault centres where people can go that are not part of the criminal system,” said Lenore Lukasik-Foss, director of SACHA. “We can offer support, listen, our services are free, and that’s really important because we know survivors don’t tell anybody. We want to be there so that they can talk to us. Its not just the counselling work that we do but the prevention work is really important if we’re ever going to prevent sexual violence,” she said.
In Feb., the Globe and Mail released the results of a 20-month long investigation, titled “Unfounded”, which detailed how police in Canada address sexual assault allegations. The report found that one in five sexual assault allegations throughout Canada are dismissed as baseless by local police departments, with a national average of about 19 per cent.
According to the report, upwards of one in three sexual assault allegations in Hamilton are deemed as baseless by the Hamilton Police Department, leaving the city with an unfounded sexual assault rate of nearly 30 per cent over the past five years.
The instance of a false accusation of sexual assault is rare, however. Only two to eight per cent of all reported sexual assaults in Canada are false reports, leaving all other cases that are deemed unfounded as void to local law enforcements.
With these statistics coming to light, it can be difficult for survivors to share their stories with law enforcement officials. This makes it a critical time for local support centres, such as SACHA, to continue to provide free support services to survivors.
SACHA receives limited funding from local and provincial government sectors in addition to donations from local businesses and supporters. But the majority of the funding they receive comes through fundraising events, such as their annual Chocolate Fest, which took place in its 13th year on March 2.
“We need the help from our community supporters to ensure we are able to continue to provide our free services and programs to help survivors,” said Annie Horton, events and fundraising coordinator at SACHA. “The money raise from fundraisers goes to keeping us afloat – generally, whatever aspect of the organization needs the funding most will see it first.”
Fundraising also serves as an important method to raise awareness and recognition within the community. The promotion of a fundraising event enables community members to make connections to the organization and for the organization’s overall message to be widely circulated, which Horton notes as an important aspect in SACHA’s active efforts to prevent sexual violence.
“Without fundraising events and involving our community, our programs wouldn’t be as recognized as they are and continue to be,” said Horton. “It’s so important to involve our community in the work we do. Hamilton is an incredibly supportive and active community, especially now with what has been happening in the media. It’s great to see the city come together in solidarity.”
SACHA hosts informative and necessary events throughout the year that provide necessary education and awareness needed in challenging the existing barriers for people of all genders. From Take Back the Night, Hamilton’s Feminist Zine Fair, to Chocolate Fest, each event promotes awareness and community within the city of Hamilton.
By: Frances Anderson
Article contains mentions of sexual assault
People are quick to believe that Canadian citizens are much more respectful than Americans, but this ceases to be true when it comes to sexual assault on university campuses.
McMaster released a new sexual violence policy on Jan. 1, 2017, but why should that concern any of McMaster’s students when Canadian universities are not required to go public with the amount of sexual assaults that occur on the university’s campus? We do not know how much of an influence the policy has had, will have, or the full extent of what it is locally based on.
According to a study done by BMC Women’s Health, more than one in every four women has been assaulted at Canadian universities. In comparison, in the United States, who announce assaults when they occur, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network states that 23.1 per cent of women have been sexually assaulted on a university campus. Additionally, the film called The Hunting Ground claims that one in five American students from a university are sexually assaulted. Not only are the statistics for rape and sexual assault while in college or university shocking, but the Canadian statistics are slightly worse than the American statistics.
In the United States, the Patsy Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act forbids any kind of discrimination based off of sex in any educational institution that is federally funded. This federal law is used to protest poor handling processes of sexual assault cases since it is more commonly an issue for women than it is for men. Unfortunately, Canada does not have this law in place. This means that the future of the victim remains solely the responsibility of the university and their administrators.
Another observation that has been made is at the beginning of a school year, there tends to be some awareness of sexual assault prevention with things such as “#consent” posters around McMaster. By the start of the second semester, there are no more posters within sight. A paper in the Journal of American College Health mentions a period of time called the red zone, which is at the start to a term of a first and second year university student. This red zone is the time when a student is most likely to be assaulted. Since assaults happen all year round and not just at the beginning of the first term, the posters should not be taken down as they were a reminder for people to ask for consent. The conversations about sexual assault should not end when the red zone does.
Although we cannot instantaneously get rid of sexual assault for good, there are many ways that people can help to change the frightening statistics. Universities need to spread more awareness of the issue so students can take the proper safety precautions to prevent any incidents or to change their behaviours toward sex and can effectively know how to ask for consent. More Canadian statistics on the issue need to be put out through academic resources so that Canadian citizens are able to do their research and see how safe or unsafe they truly are. Lastly, it would be helpful if Canada took a second look into reporting the amount of assaults that occur on university campuses, so that students would realize that they are not as safe as they think and ultimately become more inclined to participate in life-saving programs.
If you are a student or a person who knows a post-secondary student, it is time to start a conversation about how we as Canadian students are not as safe as we always think.
Equity and Inclusion Office
Provides confidential complaint resolution according to the University’s Sexual Harassment Policies.
MUSC Room 212
(905) 525-9140 x. 27581ter.ca
Megan Ross
Sexual Violence Response Coordinator
(905) 525-9140 x. 20909
SHEC
Provides confidential peer support, referrals on and off campus, anonymous and confidential pregnancy testing.
(905) 525-9140 x. 22041
Student Wellness Centre
Provides a wide range of counselling options and medical services and testing.
(905) 525-9140 x. 27700
WGEN
Provides confidential support for all victims of sexual assault
(905) 525-9140 x. 20265
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By: Sunanna Bhasin
Lady Gaga’s video for her latest song “Til It Happens to You” opens with a trigger warning explaining that it contains graphic content but “reflects the reality of what is happening daily on college campuses.” In other words, this video needs to be seen. The video challenges common views regarding sexual assault. There’s no “obviously-shady-looking character” that initiates the first attack.
Gaga reveals the truth behind many sexual assault cases: the perpetrator is often a friend or someone close to the victim. It also calls out those who question the victims when they come forward. The irony is that the victims should feel supported enough to speak out, yet the reason they often don’t is because of people – who, in most cases, have never experienced sexual assault – shaming them for getting involved in such egregious acts, implying that they had a choice.
In the music video, a young woman is raped by a colleague in her music studio. In this way, Gaga brings the notion of victim blaming to the forefront: would you really think to blame a girl who is attacked by someone she considers a friend in a work environment?
The pop singer doesn’t stop there. In fact, she explores the stereotypical party setting in order to question the common accusation victim blamers tend to make—“oh, well she shouldn’t have been drinking.” To this Gaga argues, no, he shouldn’t have drugged her drink. This exact instance of sexual assault is depicted in the video when a young man drugs two women at a party by slipping pills (Rohypnol, no doubt) into their drinks. This case is all too familiar to anyone who pays attention to the news. Gaga captures almost every case involving male perpetrators and female victims. While these do not comprise all rape cases, they do make up the majority.
While some may criticize Gaga for excluding scenarios where men are raped, it is imperative to understand that she does this purposely. She makes it clear that she is focusing on sexual assault (which describes less violent cases as well) on college campuses. While she could have broadened the scope of her video, the message she leaves behind can be applied to either of the aforementioned situations: support victims, and don’t be too quick to make assumptions about what happened because you won’t understand “‘til it happens to you.”
Although the video starts out overwhelming and heart wrenching, the most beautiful aspect is the solidarity you see towards the end. Slowly, the victims come together to share their traumatic experiences, and then the community begins to reach out. At the end of the video, the victims march out of a college building together confidently with male and female supporters urging them forward. Gaga encourages viewers to be among those who listen to the victims and try to understand them, but she doesn’t allow you to become complacent just because she has proposed one small solution to a much larger problem. When this group of survivors leave the building, there is the silhouette of a victim who hasn’t been able to speak out yet looming in the background. Gaga’s lesson is clear – make sure that no victim feels isolated or blamed for what happened. This is demonstrated by victims, who had previously tattooed self-hatred on their arms with messages such as “I am worthless” and “Believe me”, writing words of encouragement and love on their bodies: “I am worthy” and “I love myself”. One in five college women will be sexually assaulted this year unless something changes. It’s a haunting statistic mentioned at the end of the video which has resulted in positive changes at McMaster, such as the #consent campaign during welcome week. As the issue of sexual assault becomes more large-scale, international superstars like Lady Gaga address it openly. However, as a McMaster student, I encourage all of you to understand the urgency of dealing with this atrocious rape culture that has encroached onto college campuses across North America and ask yourselves: which role will you play?
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On Thursday, Sept. 17, hundreds of women-identified individuals walked away from sexual violence and towards safety in the annual Take Back the Night march. The march began as a protest against sexual violence against women. The annual tradition encourages women to reclaim their right to safety in their communities, day and night.
For this reason, the Sexual Assault Centre of Hamilton and Area (SACHA), the event’s organizing group, requested that the march remain limited to women-identified individuals. Male allies were encouraged to voice their support from the sidelines, commending those that came out for knowing when to engage in active support and when to let others take the lead.
The march began in front of the Hamilton City Hall, looped around to King Street and back. Despite being a march in resistance of power imbalance and abuse, it was far from a negative space. Instead, the night was filled with buzzing noise and a vibrant crowd—both in colour and demeanour.
As the dusk settled around City Hall, the crowd covered the square, and with it grew the noise: the fanfare, the drumbeats, the anticipatory chatter and triumphant yelling. White balloons danced above the crowd and sparkles from poster embellishments floated in the air.
Signs reading “Yes I am angry” and “We believe survivors” waved amidst chants of “A dress is not a yes.” Women of all ages took pictures together, belted out Beyoncé’s “Survivor” and reveled in the sound of their voices echoing around every street corner.
The spread of the march, the signs, the volunteers and the staff made it clear that organizing this event was not a walk in the park. Sponsor lists covered an entire page of SACHA’s pamphlet, the City Hall square was scattered with booths of organizations backing SACHA, and volunteers new and old ensured the night ran smoothly.
Erin Crickett, the Public Education Coordinator for SACHA, was one of the planners for Take Back the Night and took a break from running around to explain how monumental the night was for female empowerment.
“Working against rape culture can be really isolating and lonely… When you’re speaking out against dominant culture, you get so many messages saying you’re wrong. Every year is super reaffirming to be surrounded by joyous, vibrant, loving people who are [recognizing] that this is an issue in Hamilton.”
Take Back the Night drew out many faces from McMaster including both women joining in the march and volunteers giving their time to the cause.
“There has been a renewed surge in campus based activism since the “No Means No” campaign in 1990… It is really nice to see all three postsecondary institutions taking this issue very seriously… and the provincial government giving them a nudge with the Sexual Violence Action Plan that was released in March.”
While the recent conversation surrounding sexual violence in programs like Welcome Week Rep training is a step in the right direction, the dialogue should continue year-round and needs to reach past those in leadership positions and onto the general student body.
Estimates of crowd turnout ranged between five hundred to one thousand supporters, with a noted surge in the number of younger women dedicated to the cause. Yet Crickett has a different measure for success.
“I don’t judge the success of an event by the number of people that show up, I judge it by something that is immeasurable, which is how much did we change the culture of Hamilton and did participants have a good experience.”
Participants can post their reasons for marching on blog.sacha.ca under the series “Why I Come to Take Back the Night.” While responses are equally moving as they are chilling, there is a general consensus that the annual march is an incredibly empowering space for women from all walks of life.
This past Welcome Week, McMaster introduced a new series of lectures for incoming first years, centered on consent and rape culture.
The consent discussions came in many different forms: a workshop entitled “Cookies and Consent,” a supporting role in the annual IRIS production, and graphically displayed across buttons and posters on campus. It was a clearly important part of the week.
As a first year coming to Mac in 2011, some of the lessons shouted at me during Welcome Week were close to the opposite of those greeting this year’s freshmen. While I knew better than to disregard consent as an important and necessary part of my life, hearing reps from my own faculty insultingly scream “virgin” at other students, along with representatives of another faculty chanting “no means yes,” I was startled by what was considered a normal part of Welcome Week at McMaster.
After the controversial Red Suit Songbook was unearthed during the 2013-14 school year and a series of similar incidents occurred on campuses across the country, I am happy to see that our university is making an effort to give students a proper education on what consent means, and why it is a necessary part of our actions and decisions.
During my time as a student, I was lucky to be part of the SACHA Welcome Week training provided for faculty and residence representatives. I was excited to see that SACHA was also involved in this year’s programming for first years. While educating an already keen group of student leaders is important, cementing McMaster’s zero-tolerance policy for rape culture and language into the minds of incoming students can be a much more important asset.
I am proud of our university for taking this step, but while it is easy to look at this situation and think that McMaster is years ahead of other universities, it is important to remember that assault is not something our campus, or any other, is immune to. And whether you were part of this year’s Welcome Week or not, there is still a lot that needs to be said and done before the consent conversation becomes something that we all already agree to.
Spotted at Mac followers may have gotten more than they bargained for when a post surfaced yesterday afternoon about an alleged sexual assault of a McMaster student.
An anonymous post made the claim that a student went to a bar with a man she met at Mills who then forced himself on her after a few drinks. She included a photo of the alleged assailant, which we have blurred to protect the identity of the involved, until a formal investigation is underway, and claimed to have made a report to the police afterwards.
Police cannot confirm whether any investigation is yet underway but urge students to come forward if they are victims of assault crimes.
“It would be difficult for us to identify that person, so unless we have a compliant victim, it is difficult for us to do our job. As difficult as it is, we do need victims to come forward and that’s part of our constant challenge of educating the public, of creating that awareness that we’re here to help. We would hope that it is not just done anonymously on those types of platforms, that they would please try and find the courage to call the police and report it, so it can be dealt with,” said Jenny McGreal, Media Relations Officer at Hamilton Police Services.
McMaster Security Services had not been contacted at the time of reporting by the police or the supposed victim.
The Spotted at Mac page has, as of late, become a platform for a form of vigilante awareness, with a post appearing earlier this year in which someone posted a picture their phone automatically took of a supposed thief, in an effort to try and get McMaster students to crowdsource an identification effort.
“News media is no longer the opinions of reporters and editors, it’s becoming more democratized,” said the Spotted at Mac admin of the anonymous Facebook group.
“Most people are thanking the original poster for keeping them informed of potential danger on campus. The benefits of the warning far outweigh the possible margin of error.”
The commenters on the post pointed out a potential danger that could occur with this kind of awareness, with one user saying, “technically anyone could post a picture of someone claiming they hurt them and we have no way to tell for sure. Now I’m not saying the person is lying but these matters are probably better handled by the police.”
The post can be seen under this article, and we will update as any potential police investigation comes to our attention.
TRIGGER WARNING: Victims of sexual assault should tread lightly as the post describes the encounter in fair detail.
While there are women’s centres in over 20 schools across Canada, McMaster is one of a handful of campuses that does not have a comparable centre. So for the past few months the MSU has been investigating if there was a need for a women’s and trans* centre (WTC) on campus.
Research from the WTC Ad-Hoc Committee showed that a vast majority of students, 78 per cent of those surveyed, said that they would use a WTC to seek counseling or in order to provide information to support a friend. 237 people responded to the online survey.
At the March 24 SRA meeting, a motion passed that formally recognized and acknowledged the need for a women’s and trans* centre on campus.
The motion also recognized the MSU’s commitment to ending violence against women and trans* individuals on campus.
However, the motions were not passed without much discussion amongst the representatives.
Some assembly members especially took issue with an original motion, which called for a commitment to ending violence. There was argument over whether the particular motion was purely symbolic and didn’t call for enough tangible measures.
But several members strongly argued that voting against that type of motion was more indicative of the MSU’s lack of support and divisive stance on ending violence against women.
Elise Milani, Chair of the Ad-Hoc Committee and SRA Humanities, stated that, “When we commit to it we’re saying we’re continuing to work. If we vote this down…it inherently says that we [the MSU] don’t want to end violence and against women and trans* individuals.”
Similarly, Simon Granat, SRA Social Sciences expressed his dismay in those opposed to the motion.
“It’s astounding that people are saying, ‘yeah I don’t think I’m going to vote for this’. Yeah it’s big. Yeah it’s lofty. But we’re committing to ending violence. To me this really shouldn’t be a discussion.”
Assembly members were presented with up to date information and research that the Ad-Hoc Committee had compiled in order to inform their decisions and stance on the necessity for a WTC on campus.
The research collected showed that there was a gap in services which SHEC, the Wellness Centre and QSCC was unable to fulfill in terms of providing specific sexual assault counseling or a discussion forum for gender issues.
Violetta Nikolskaya, a WTC Committee member, explained how, “we have to recognize it’s imperative that we have something on campus for students. Something that is convenient, readily accessible and central to students.”
Milani described how the committee’s next steps will be to look more closely at funding, location, partnerships with organizations such as SACHA and examine the liability of providing counseling and services.
“We can’t put all the responsibility on the WTC. It’s a huge thing we need to try and tackle. And this is just one part,” said Milani.
“Doing awareness campaigns and providing training [about violence against women and trans* individuals] is another big part of the overall issue.”
Aelya Salman / The Silhouette
McMaster frequently plays host to a number of incredibly talented speakers, and this was shown on March 8 when Human Rights and Equity Services welcomed the multi-hyphenated activist speaker Kim Crosby to McMaster, in what proved to be several hours of engaging with some difficult but crucial topics.
Crosby refers to herself as a “daughter of the diaspora.” Her multi-hyphenated identity comes not only from her heritage – she is Arawak, West African, Indian, and Dutch – but also from her professional titles as an artist, activist, consultant, facilitator, and educator.
Crosby facilitated a workshop on anti-racism and later delivered a keynote address in Convocation Hall, summarizing the workshop content and discussing the power of women.
The topics covered included rape, masculinity, the dismantling of debilitating institutions, and solidarity amongst the marginalized. She reminded the audience of the importance of undoing internalized behaviours that arise from years of problematic ideologies.
Crosby's aim was to draw attention to the various ways that oppression can arise, and how multiple oppressions come together to create a more inclusive picture of any one individual.
A key topic touched on during the workshop was the dismissal of activist efforts within certain spaces, particularly academic spheres. The university, Crosby rightfully pointed out, is an institution that often operates on us without our consent.
She was quick to remind her audience, however, that change is more than possible.
In her own words, these systems, including schools and financial institutions, for example, were created, but as members of these systems have the ability to un-create them. She illustrated this by explaining, for instance, that we undo capitalism every day in the gestures we perform for others out of good will.
“You don't give your friend a bill, asking them to pay for what you did for them, do you?” Crosby asked her chuckling audience.
The breadth of topics and their various nuances cannot possibly be covered in one sitting, and that was most visible when Crosby seemed to run out of breath or looked as if she had more to say but couldn’t due to time constraints.
While this workshop along with others like it are not the be-all-end-all of activist discourses, they provide the necessary catalyst for real changes to occur on campuses nation-wide, including and especially McMaster.
After all, difference begins with education and what better place to begin our education than on campus?
Ronald Leung / Silhouette Staff
Students sceptical on first day of Quebec education summit
The quick provincial election of the Parti Québécois (PQ) came after months of student protests against higher education tuition raises last year. The government organized a summit that began on Feb. 25 to discuss contentious educational issues. Though Premier Pauline Marois initially pledged to freeze tuition, Minister of Higher Education Pierre Duchesne revealed to attendees that the PQ intend to index tuition at approximately three per cent annually. Despite reasoning that the current freeze on tuition would put Quebec into a crisis if continued, student groups felt cheated and organized peaceful protests.
PEI government blunder leads to breach of student privacy
Students who received scholarships, awards, or bursaries from the government of Prince Edward Island are at risk of a privacy breach. A mechanical error in folding letters left a number of social insurance numbers viewable in the window of the delivery envelope. Releasing a statement on Feb. 25 acknowledging this mistake, the PEI government has yet to disclose the number of affected students, although approximately 1,600 letters were mailed out. The error occurred in the PEI Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning. In the statement, the government said it is reviewing existing protocol and repairing the machine to prevent future errors.
Faculty and administration at odds after executive pay raises at SAIT
After pay increases for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology’s three vice-presidents and outgoing president, the institute’s Academic Faculty Association (SAFA) expressed their disapproval. Outgoing president Irene Lewis received a nine per cent raise from $224,000 to $245,000. SAIT’s three vice presidents all got an increase of 26 per cent, from $182,000 to $230,000 in addition to a $58,000 pay-for-performance bonus. The institute expressed earlier this year that SAFA could not afford to give cost-of-living adjustments to faculty due to diminishing school surpluses. The SAFA also expresses concern that tuition may also be negatively impacted.
Surging budget deficit forces University of Saskatchewan to plan massive layoffs
Seventy-five percent of colleges and units of the University of Saskatchewan that have yet to see layoffs can expect to see some jobs go. In earlier months, 50 jobs from 13 colleges and admin units have already been cut. These layoffs come as part of the University’s efforts to combat a growing budget deficit that is projected to surge to $44.5 million by 2016 if no remedial action is taken. The University of Saskatchewan has hired a counselling firm to help newly unemployed workers transition, and has also assembled a task force with student involvement to discuss funding issues.
Professor at U of A charged with alleged sexual assault and confinement of a minor
Zhixiang Wang, 51, associate professor in the University of Alberta’s Department of Medical Genetics, has been charged with one count of sexual assault and sexual interference. His wife, Xinmei Chan, 49, is also facing a charge of unlawful confinement of a minor. The offences were allegedly made against a 16-year-old female between November 2009 and May 2010. Chen, who also worked at the U of A as a lab technician, and has been placed on leave along with her husband. Both Wang and Chen are to appear in court on Mar. 13.
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.
