----- Original Message ----- From: "activistsagainst sexualassault" <activistsagainstsexualassault at hotmail.com> To: <a-infos-en at ainfos.ca> Sent: Wednesday, June 05, 2002 5:01 PM Subject: (en) Canada, Call-out: Sexual Assault in Activist Communities
> ________________________________________________
> A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C E
> http://www.ainfos.ca/
> ________________________________________________
>
> Please find enclosed a callout for submissions to a publication we are
> compiling about
> sexual assault in activist circles. We would appreciate it if you would do
> one of the
> following: distribute within the activist community as widely as possible,
> post on
> applicable website, or post on listserve.
> In addition, please contact us if you wish to receive free copies of the
> publication after
> printing. It is expected out in early September.
> Thank you!
> Activists Against Sexual Assault Collective
>
> ***********************************************************
>
> Special Issue of The Peak
> Call-out for Submissions!
> TOPIC: Sexual Assault in Activist Communities
>
> 1. Who are we targeting?
> We wish to reach activists involved in activism of a leftist, grassroots
> nature. This may
> include, but is not limited to, activists involved in
> anti-globalization/anti-capitalist
> struggles, environmentalism, anti-poverty work, anti-racism, anti-ableism,
> feminist
> struggles, and revolutionary arts and culture movements.
>
> 2. Why activists?
> Sexual assault certainly does not happen more frequently within activist
> communities
> than it does within society at large. However, responses to sexual assault
> within our
> communities can often be more publicized or more fraught with tension. On
> the one
> hand, survivors may be more likely to "out" a perpetrator within activist
> circles because
> of certain assumptions about the progressiveness or radicalism of certain
> communities
> (but survivors do not necessarily receive more support after "outing" a
> perpetrator). On
> the other hand, it would theoretically seem that our communities would be
> better
> equipped to expose and confront perpetrators of sexual violence because of
> various
> activist claims to working for justice, building an alternative society,
> fighting for
> democracy, fostering a culture of peace/consent/etc. Is our practice really
> in keeping
> with our theory? And has our theory really grappled with how to seek justice
> for sexual
> assault survivors outside of the present solutions to violence (such as
> depending upon
> legal bureaucracy, cops and judges with inordinate power used to defend the
> state and
> capital, social coercion, and punishment/imprisonment)? How prepared are we
> for
> revolution and thereafter if we cannot deal with our own and each other's
> oppressive
> behaviour and attitudes in the present?
>
> 3. Topics
> We encourage variety in submissions. The following are topics we hope will
> be
> addressed; however, please feel free to write/create anything else you think
> is
> appropriate to the topic "sexual assault in activist circles."
> - strategies to deal with sexual assault in non-bureaucratic and/or informal
> settings/organizations
> - personal experiences with sexual assault
> - poetry, plays, short fiction, artwork
> - how to prevent sexual assault in our communities
> - the larger political implications of sexual assault: its realtionship to
> patriarchy, power
> structures, etc.
> - tips on how to appropriately and effectively support sexual assault
> survivors
> - discussions on: what is justice? is rehabilitation possible or desirable?
> what about
> punishment? forgiveness?
> - how to deal with perpetrators of sexual violence (this could include
> within activism in
> general, in communities, or between friends)
>
> 4. Editorial statement
> In keeping with The Peak's editorial policy, "once a submission is accepted,
> it will not be
> modified in any way beyond proofreading without the author's consent... That
> being
> said, we will not print material that is oppressive, for example ableist,
> homophobic,
> racist, or sexist, or that supports any other form of domination of one
> group of people
> over another."
> We understand that legal definitions of sexual assault have come into being
> for reasons
> that are not entirely unproblematic, and that the definitions themselves are
> limited and
> are designed to function within the strict and often ineffective confines of
> the criminal
> (in)justice system. However, for the purpose of focusing discussions within
> this special
> issue, we are using this working and imperfect definition of sexual assault,
> in part
> adapted from the legal definition of sexual assault: the unwanted,
> nonconsensual use of
> force (physical or verbal or implied through use of a weapon) with a sexual
> nature.
> We recognize that survivors and perpetrators may be unknown to each other,
> acquainted, or partners, and that each relationship between survivors and
> perpetrators
> can exist in a huge variety of wider contexts. Sexual assault may be
> perpetrated by
> either male or female identified individuals, and may be inflicted upon
> either male or
> female identified individuals. Sexual assault may occur within monogamous or
> polyamorous relationships, between partners who identify as being part of a
> same-sex
> relationship or a heterosexual relationship. Individuals may be affected by
> sexual assault
> regardless of physical size, ability, cultural identity, age, or class.
> Sexual assault happens to people of all genders, however, statistically, it
> is women who
> are usually sexually assaulted by men. This is not because men are
> inherently violent,
> but because we live in a patriarchal society within which sexual assault is
> used as a form
> of the social control of women.
> We also recognize that sexual assault usually happens within a context of
> different
> kinds of abuse and violence. This includes ongoing abuse within
> relationships such as
> psychological or verbal abuse; or systemic violence such as poverty and
> racism. We
> encourage people to submit work that contextualizes sexual assault within
> these
> ongoing power imbalances and within these larger systems of oppression. We
> also
> encourage submissions that reflect a diversity of experiences: not all
> approaches to
> dealing with or healing from sexual assault are the same.
>
> 5. Legal considerations for contributors
> If you are submitting a piece that refers to a specific incident involving
> sexual assault,
> please think about the implications of disclosing details of the incident or
> details
> pertaining to someone's identity before submitting your work. This is not
> legal advice,
> but just some words of caution:
> - If you are a survivor writing about your own experience and you:
> - have not laid charges against the perpetrator and there is even a
> remote possibility of you wishing to lay charges at some point in
> the future,
> - or if you have already laid charges but it has not yet lead to a
> conviction (e.g. the trial hasn't begun yet or is in progress),
> disclosing any details about the incident or about the perpetrator's
> identity can be used
> against you by the perpetrator's defence in the courts. Even if you have
> laid charges,
> the trial is over, and the perpetrator has been convicted, any discrepancies
> between
> what you publish and what you said in court could still be used against you
> (for instance,
> in an appeal).
> - Regardless of whether or not you have laid charges or may in the future,
> if you
> disclose the name or any obvious identifying details about the perpetrator,
> you and/or
> The Peak could be sued for libel in a civil court.
> - If you are writing about someone else's experience and disclose details
> about the
> identities of the survivor, perpetrator, or incident, you may be putting the
> survivor at
> the same risks described above, in addition to backlash and other harmful
> repercussions that they may not consent to being subjected to. If you will
> be referring
> to a survivor's experience, take as much direction as possible from them
> regarding what
> to say, what not to say, how specific to be, etc.
> - You can always sign pieces anonymously, but this doesn't preclude taking
> all the
> precautions above.
> - If you are unsure about what risks you are taking when you are writing
> about a specific
> incident or specific people, consult with a lawyer or call your local sexual
> assault centre
> and ask to speak with someone who knows about the legal system.
>
> 6. Deadline:
> The final deadline for submissions is July 15th. By July 15th we must have
> already
> received the submission via mail or email.
> We also ask that those who wish to submit to this issue give us an outline
> of the piece
> they are writing for said issue, by June 15th. This outline can be brief.
> Its goal is to help
> ensure that there is a variety in submissions, and that many different
> avenues of topic
> and thought on this subject are addressed.
>
> 7. Mailing and Contact Information:
> To contact us, please use our email address:
> activistsagainstsexualassault at hotmail.com
> You may send questions, comments, ideas, and submissions via this email
> address.
> Alternatively, you may use our mailing address at:
>
> Local Affairs Commissioner
> CSA Main Office
> University Centre- level 2
> University of Guelph
> Guelph, ON
> N1G 2W1
> Canada
>
> If you are sending submissions of artwork, please press it between layers of
> cardboard,
> so that it does not get squished or folded in places it shouldn't. Also, let
> us know if you
> wish to have the artwork returned to you, and we will do our best to see
> that it is.
> All the best,
> Activists Against Sexual Assault Collective
>
>
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