We applaud Premier Christy Clark for working with the Green Party to mandate sexual assault policies at universities. But perhaps just as significant was her decision to publicly talk about an attempted sexual assault she suffered as a child.
She will likely face criticism – such is the fate of many sexual assault victims – but we hope her statement helps erode the shame that is acute among victims of sex crimes.
Too often, victims do not talk about sexual violence, even to those close to them. As adults, both women and men who’ve experienced sexual violence understand all too well the culture of victim-blaming that still flourishes. Children, the most vulnerable victims, internalize these messages and also learn to keep quiet.
Many times, the cases that receive public attention – such as the feather-light sentence recently given to a Stanford University student convicted of raping an unconscious woman – just reinforce those messages.
As a society we are still quick to assume there must be something wrong with the victim, that they somehow brought the attack upon themselves.
But when people in positions of power give voice to the experience of victims – such as Clark, NDP MLA Kathy Corrigan and Green Party leader Andrew Weaver have all done – those damaging assumptions are questioned.
Their personal stories force us to accept that such attacks happen to many people. We commend Clark and the other political leaders who came forward for being part of the solution to let victims, past and future, know there is no shame in speaking out.
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