The Realities of Rape Culture on Campus: An Interview with University Students
Each year the Lennoxville and District Women’s Centre ( LDWC) takes part in the 12 DAYS OF ACTION TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN. Between Nov. 25 and Dec. 6, the LDWC will be publishing an article in each issue of the Sherbrooke Record to raise awareness and understanding about this complex social issue.
Today’s piece was submitted to the LDWC by Julia Coote, a fourth-year Life Sciences student, also pursuing a Certificate in Law at Queen’s University.
Rape culture is a term that was first coined in the 1970s, but has been gaining traction in the last decade. One can only assume this coincides with the significant increase of sexual assault cases across Canada, especially on university campuses.
To gain insight into women’s experiences in dealing with these subjects at university, I interviewed two students to understand their perspectives on this phenomenon. Susan and Anna* are both current university students who have kindly agreed to share their thoughts.
Recent movements have advocated for women’s rights; especially in 2020. Social media has been a significant platform for this. Movements such #Breakthestigma, #Metoo and #Let’stalk have encouraged people, especially women, to open up about their experiences. According to Susan, “starting these conversations happens so much more online these days”.
Does sharing these experiences through a screen act as a barrier to provide insulation from the backlash women expect to receive when telling their story? Susan shares, “it’s definitely the people who talk about it that make themselves vulnerable and that’s a risk in itself because it opens you up to being criticized”.
When either student was asked if they have had these types of conversations in person, neither could attest to having experienced comfortable, open dialogue on the subject. When reflecting on why so many women choose to remain silent about their experiences with sexual violence, there are many reasons to consider; social pressure, fear of their assaulters, victim shaming/blaming, and simply because they have limited options.
Susan describes the pressure which persuades many women into staying silent as one to live up to society’s expectations. “It seems hypocritical but it’s human nature. Bottom line, we do care about what people think about us. Ultimately, it stems from our very judgmental society”.
As for the root of the negative connation affiliated with conversations involving sexual violence, Susan says “It sounds almost redundant to say, but rape culture in itself is stigmatized simply because it’s always been that way. We’re used to how things are. We say that we’re open to change, but when it comes time for change to happen, we aren’t as ready as we think.”
I wanted to get an idea of the level of support that students feel is provided by their university when it comes to sexual violence. Anna references Bill 151, passed in Quebec in 2016 and requiring all higher-education institutions to pass stand-alone sexual violence policies to be implemented by Fall 2019. Of this, Anna says “personally as a student and as somebody who has been involved in advocacy groups concerning consent, it’s a good beginning but it’s not enough.”
Taking the position of universities in mind, Anna continues: “No university wants to publish statistics that are high in reports of sexual assault. Universities are a business and that is not a good move on their part.” Susan agrees with this idea, saying “I personally believe that universities say they recognize these issues for their image, but they don’t follow through.”
When I asked about specific programs, both students share that there is a disparity between promotion and accessibility. “Universities talk about their programs in terms of emergency applications or streetlights, but they’re not accessible enough,” Anna describes. Susan adds, “personally, I would feel useless if someone were to open up to me about [sexual violence], because, beyond emotional support,
I don’t have those resources to help them.”
Susan concludes, “we talk about programs being implemented, but we also have a justice system that is very flawed. How are we supposed to denounce what is essentially, a crime and how are women supposed to feel comfortable to come forward and talk about it when for so many years, they have been marginalized?”
Susan adds, “society has a lot of other problems right now which are being spoken about, and rape isn’t always one of them. It has to do with image, not only for institutions but also for individuals. On Instagram, it’s one thing to post a black square and it’s another to really advocate. Change must be shown through your actions on what is happening right now.”
Looking to the future, both women agree, “we have a lot of work still to do; we have to de-stigmatize the whole subject.”
*Note: Names have been changed to protect participants’ anonymity.
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