Sexual assault is a pertinent issue on all university campuses, and the International Women’s Movement is working to raise awareness of this issue among students at the University of Saskatchewan.

From Nov. 21 to 25, the IWM put on an exhibit, entitled  “Connecting Realities: An Exhibit on Gender-Based Sexual Violence,” in various locations on campus. With the exhibit, the IWM’s goal was to spread awareness about sexual violence and the negative effects of it. The exhibit presented anonymous submissions from survivors of sexual assault, their friends and others who have thoughts on the topic. The exhibit featured 50 submissions, including some from international sources in Mexico and China.

Jessica Quan, a fourth-year political studies major and president of the IWM, explains the reason the exhibit was created and why she believes it was important.

Students at the U of S shared their experiences of sexual violence at a public exhibit.

“The exhibit was [made] to highlight the impact which sexual abuse and violence has both on campus and internationally. Typically, victims and survivors of sexual assault have their voices silenced or they become stigmatized. Stories are a powerful medium for sending a message and by connecting these stories together, I believe that we made an empowering impact,” Quan said, in an email to the Sheaf. “With the exhibit, we want to show that incidents of sexual assault are not isolated. By physically linking up these stories, you can see that these incidents stem from a larger, societally rooted issue.”

The IWM, founded in 2014 by students at the U of S, aspires to bring together women on campus. In creating the exhibit, the IWM’s goal was to be all-encompassing and to include stories from people of diverse backgrounds. Some of the stories were submitted by male victims, shedding light on the fact that sexual assault is not limited to gender.

Quan believes that the display was valuable, both for those who submitted stories and for those who visited the exhibit.

“It was empowering for students to both submit their stories and to read the display. The display sends an incredibly loud and strong message and it’s important to have voices, which have been traditionally silenced, heard by a large student body,” she said.

Aside from being a site of empowerment for student voices, many anonymous submitters drew attention to a prevalent issue at the U of S: the unsafe feeling they experience when walking home and the need to use the U of S Students’ Union Safewalk program.

The submissions also built awareness of the after-effects of sexual assault, such as post traumatic stress disorder, night terrors and flashbacks. In addition, submitters noted that they are often stigmatized and treated differently after the sexual assault takes place.

According to Quan, many victims of sexual violence at the U of S do not report the incident, something she sees as a definite problem.

“Sexual assault continues to be a pressing issue at the U of S because there are still several incidents that go unreported and rape culture is still at large. Myself included, and many women I know, have been victims of sexual assault, and we do not feel safe in many given circumstances when we are alone or are in a hostile environment,” Quan said.

She also highlights the behaviours that can normalize sexual assault, behaviours that must be recognized and changed if attitudes towards victims of sexual assault are going to improve.

“These incidents of sexual assault are extremely problematic and we also have to look at micro-aggressions, behaviour and language used towards women which have harmful connotations, such as rape jokes,” Quan said.

She hopes that the exhibit made students more aware of the issue of sexual assault.

“I hope that students become more conscious of the impact of sexual assault and take a more active [role] in both educating others and dismantling the patriarchal structures which normalize rape culture. We want students to know that non-consensual sexual acts are absolutely unacceptable, and we also want individuals to be critical of the historical and traditional structures which have led to the normalization of these acts against women to begin with.”

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Lauren Hope

Photo: Tamara Leyva / Supplied