{"id":52,"date":"2024-05-14T16:24:13","date_gmt":"2024-05-14T20:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/isvgraduate\/chapter\/concepts-in-sexualized-violence\/"},"modified":"2024-05-29T13:07:57","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T17:07:57","slug":"concepts-in-sexualized-violence","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/isvgraduate\/chapter\/concepts-in-sexualized-violence\/","title":{"raw":"Concepts in Sexualized Violence","rendered":"Concepts in Sexualized Violence"},"content":{"raw":"This section provides definitions of key concepts related to sexualized violence.\r\n

Roots of Violence<\/h1>\r\nThere are many different theories and perspectives about what the causes of sexualized violence in our society are. Discussions about ideas such as social constructions of gender roles, colonialism, enslavement, and patriarchy can help us to explore and understand the root causes of sexualized violence and collectively find answers and solutions.\r\n
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Linking Sexualized Violence and Gender Equity<\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nSexualized violence is linked to gender inequities in society. The lives, bodies, agency, and work of women, girls, transgender and gender-diverse people are devalued while those of men are overvalued. Devaluing leads to dehumanizing and objectifying; overvaluing leads to entitlement and the misuse of power. Together this forms an environment where sexualized violence perpetrated by men against women and people of diverse genders is normalized. One way to combat the pervasiveness of sexualized violence is to ensure the norms, systems, and institutions in our society are equitable for everyone.\r\n\r\nThe term rape culture<\/em> was first coined in the 1970s in the United States by second-wave feminists, and the term is often used in sexualized violence prevention training in post-secondary institutions. Rape culture describes how sexualized violence is common in our society and how it is normalized, condoned, excused, or encouraged. Examples of rape culture include the public tolerance of sexualized harassment, the prevalence of sexualized violence in media, the socialization of boys that promotes masculine identities based on notions of power and control, persistent discrimination against women and other equity-seeking communities, and the scrutiny given to the sexual histories of survivors of sexualized violence (Ending Violence Association of BC, 2016a). While there is a recognition that the term rape culture<\/em> may not be the most useful or inclusive term, it is currently the most commonly used one to describe the suite of beliefs, values, and actions that allow sexualized violence to be so prevalent.\r\n\r\nMany aspects of rape culture are often conceptualized as a pyramid or can be connected to other forms of violence in society.<\/a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_44\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]\"\" Image adapted from Simon Fraser University Sexual Violence Support and Prevention Office (SFU SVSPO, 2020). [Image description]<\/a>[\/caption]<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

Colonial Violence<\/h2>\r\nColonialism occurs when a group of people take control of other lands, regions, or territories outside of their own by turning those other lands, regions, or territories into a colony.\r\n\r\nColonialism remains embedded in Canada's legal, political, and economic context today. Sexualized violence and colonialism are interconnected through concepts such as self-determination, autonomy, and consent. Also, many social norms in Canada are founded on colonial beliefs, which are rooted in white patriarchal supremacy and which have created systems that support individuals, predominantly white men, to positions of power. These norms provide an illusion that people are entitled to what others have, including lands, cultures, and people\u2019s bodies and that force is an acceptable way to claim these things, regardless of the harm to others (National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, 2019; Turpel-Lafond, 2020; Women\u2019s Earth Alliance and Native Youth Sexual Health Network, 2016). An understanding of colonial violence can help provide context to issues such as why many Indigenous women, girls, gender-diverse, and Two-Spirit people experience high rates of sexualized violence today and the systemic and historical barriers to Indigenous people reporting sexualized violence when it occurs.\r\n
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Optional Colonial Violence Wheel Activity<\/h3>\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nIf you are offering a longer session and would like to discuss colonial violence in more depth, consider using the Colonial Violence Wheel Activity.\r\n\r\nThe colonial violence wheel is a visual tool that can be used to help further discussion on the connections between colonial violence and sexualized violence. Each section of the wheel provides examples of strategies, policies, and laws that have been enacted by the Canadian government to colonize and assimilate Indigenous people. Discussion questions can include:\r\n
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  1. What do you already know about colonialism in Canada? What aspects of these strategies, policies, and laws do you see in your life?<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. How do the strategies, policies, and laws described in the wheel connect to sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination?<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. How does colonial violence connect to sexualized violence? For example, what is the connection between self-determination at an individual level (control of one\u2019s own body) and at a community level (First Nations self-governance)?<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_45\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"500\"]\"\" Colonial Violence Wheel \u00a9 Jewell Gillies (2021), Musgamgw Dzawada\u2019enux. Used with permission under CC BY 4.0 License. [Image description]<\/a>[\/caption]The Colonial Violence Wheel Activity is available as a handout: Colonial Violence Wheel Activity handout [PDF]<\/a>.<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

    Intersectionality<\/h2>\r\nIntersectionality is a concept that promotes an understanding of people as shaped by the interactions of different positionalities or categories \u2013 for example, Indigeneity, race, ethnicity, gender identity\/expression, class, sexuality, geography, age, ability, migration status, and religion.\r\n\r\nIn the context of sexualized violence, intersectionality can help increase understanding of how certain populations face increased risks of perpetrating sexualized violence and others face increased risks of being targeted by sexualized violence. It also highlights how different groups of people experience systemic barriers when disclosing sexualized violence and accessing support services. It can also help ensure that responses to sexualized violence are attentive to and reflective of the diversity of communities at post-secondary institutions.\r\n
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    Optional Power Flower Activity<\/h3>\r\n<\/header>\r\n
    \r\n\r\nIf you are offering a longer session and want to encourage participants to explore intersectionality, consider using the Power Flower Activity below.<\/a>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_47\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"300\"]\"\" The Power Flower Activity uses a visual tool to explore how our multiple identities combine to create the person we are. [Image description]<\/a>[\/caption]Instructions:\r\n
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    1. Each person fills out their own power flower, identifying different aspects of their own identities in a number of categories. (Colourful markers or paper are always a bonus!). As we all have many identities, you may want to start with:\r\n