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Editorial: End the silence on sex assaults

It’s a deep flaw in our society that compels victims of sexual violence to remain silent, to feel shame and guilt for something not of their doing.

It’s a deep flaw in our society that compels victims of sexual violence to remain silent, to feel shame and guilt for something not of their doing. Premier Christy Clark has started a conversation that could be a catalyst for badly needed change; it’s important to keep that conversation going.

Some of the change could involve government funding and policies, but the most fundamental change needed is a shift in a culture that regards women as objects.

In an essay in B.C. newspapers this week, Clark explained her reasons for supporting a bill introduced in the legislature this spring by the Greens. One of those reasons was deeply personal: As a 13-year-old, she was attacked by a strange man.

She was able to escape, and although she was not physically harmed, the incident left emotional scars. Yet she told no one about it, until now.

Green MLA Andrew Weaver had introduced a bill calling for the province’s post-secondary institutions to draft clear policies on sexual assault and misconduct. In question period, the government was asked if it would pass the bill.

“As I got up to answer, I decided that our government would pass the legislation,” Clark wrote. “I knew it was the right thing to do.”

Her support for the legislation was a surprise — she had not spoken to her caucus about it — but she didn’t explain at the time how the bill triggered memories of her own experiences with unwanted sexual advances, and especially the attack when she was a young teenager.

She decided later that she needed to deliver a message: “I want women who have never said anything about sexual violence in their lives to know they are not alone.”

In a May 13 Times Colonist commentary explaining his bill, Weaver wrote: “We need to remember that only one in 10 survivors of sexualized violence will go to the police — a statistic that leaves a lot of room for improvement, and a lot of people left without support.”

Victims of sexual violence suffer intensely — physically and emotionally — from being violated, and they fear being victimized again by having their anguish made public, by having to relive their pain as they report the attack to the police. The pain can be worsened if the case goes through the judicial process, which often seems unsympathetic and judgmental. It’s no mystery why some choose not to speak out.

“Sexual violence is common,” Clark wrote. “Unfortunately, so is staying silent about it. Our silence makes it easier for those who wish to harm us.”

Sexual violence is not restricted to physical attacks. In addition to the incident mentioned, Clark wrote of “getting flashed, groped, spied on. Things that no person should experience, let alone a young girl or a teenager.”

She said almost all the women she has spoken to have stories to tell.

“Many of their stories are much worse, horrifying events that will take years of determined effort to heal,” she wrote.

Supporting survivors and punishing offenders, while necessary, treats only the symptoms. The illness is a culture that suggests sexual violence is normal and acceptable, even inevitable, a culture in which too many men think it’s OK to regard women as objects. It’s an ugly current we cannot ignore.

If that culture is to change, survivors of sexual violence must be able to speak out. By telling her story, Clark is helping to remove barriers so others can do the same.