Part of my trying to raise awareness about the crime of sexual abuse has included drawing chalk drawings in public areas.Astro Boy
Bob Dylan
The Flight of a Dove
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Chalk Art
Part of my trying to raise awareness about the crime of sexual abuse has included drawing chalk drawings in public areas.Astro Boy
Bob Dylan
The Flight of a Dove
Monday, August 8, 2011
Protesting
When the article "The Day I was Raped" was published in 2008 I thought that the harassment and stalking I had received because of the rape would stop, instead it continued.
Before the publication of the article my house had been repeatedly broken into, these break-in's continued even after the article's publication.
My friend recently gave me a copy of an article from the Weekend Australian, June 4-5 2011, entitled "War of Words". This article tells of other woman's experiences after writing about being raped or speaking against sexual abuse. The women in the article speak of abuse that is directed at them on internet forums or facebook sites after they have spoken out.
It seems that speaking out against abuse incurs even more abuse. This then halts dialogue on the issue as people might stop telling their stories for fear that they too could be abused in a similar way but "it is essential to expose the level of abuse and misogyny that has flourished on the largely unregulated new media". (1)
Over the last 3 years since the publication of the article "The Day I was Raped" I have repeatedly spoken out to stop the stalking of me and my family and also to increase peoples awareness of the horrible crimes that sexual assault and abuse are.
On the 30th and 31st of May 2011 I stood on Commonwealth Avenue near Parliament House protesting against the stalking of me and my son. I read out loud Eve Ensler's 'Vagina Monologues' while I stood there.
Twice I had 'slut' yelled out at me and once 'whore' from people in passing traffic.
One young woman approached me and asked why I was there. I told her that I had been raped and that I was protesting against the stalking of me and my family since the rape. She asked how she could help me. I could not answer.
Then she told me that she too had been sexually abused and that she feared for her daughter's safety but did not think there was anything that could be done.
I thought about her statement and wondered; don't men have daughters also and are they not also concerned for their daughter's futures?
I thought there must be something else that I could do. So I put together a card with information on it which I hope will be helpful to people if they or someone they know experiences rape or sexual abuse.
(1) Christine Jackman 'War of Words' The Weekend Australian June 4-5 2011
Before the publication of the article my house had been repeatedly broken into, these break-in's continued even after the article's publication.
My friend recently gave me a copy of an article from the Weekend Australian, June 4-5 2011, entitled "War of Words". This article tells of other woman's experiences after writing about being raped or speaking against sexual abuse. The women in the article speak of abuse that is directed at them on internet forums or facebook sites after they have spoken out.
It seems that speaking out against abuse incurs even more abuse. This then halts dialogue on the issue as people might stop telling their stories for fear that they too could be abused in a similar way but "it is essential to expose the level of abuse and misogyny that has flourished on the largely unregulated new media". (1)
Over the last 3 years since the publication of the article "The Day I was Raped" I have repeatedly spoken out to stop the stalking of me and my family and also to increase peoples awareness of the horrible crimes that sexual assault and abuse are.
On the 30th and 31st of May 2011 I stood on Commonwealth Avenue near Parliament House protesting against the stalking of me and my son. I read out loud Eve Ensler's 'Vagina Monologues' while I stood there.
Twice I had 'slut' yelled out at me and once 'whore' from people in passing traffic.
One young woman approached me and asked why I was there. I told her that I had been raped and that I was protesting against the stalking of me and my family since the rape. She asked how she could help me. I could not answer.
Then she told me that she too had been sexually abused and that she feared for her daughter's safety but did not think there was anything that could be done.
I thought about her statement and wondered; don't men have daughters also and are they not also concerned for their daughter's futures?
I thought there must be something else that I could do. So I put together a card with information on it which I hope will be helpful to people if they or someone they know experiences rape or sexual abuse.
(1) Christine Jackman 'War of Words' The Weekend Australian June 4-5 2011
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Being Stalked
Almost everyone has heard of the crime of stalking.
It is a crime associated with following a person around from home to work and anywhere else the person goes to make them feel that they are being watched.
It can also involve stealing a person's private information in an attempt to harass them.
Stalking is a crime of psychological abuse where the person is made to feel that they are watched all the time.
Often there is little knowledge of how the crime is perpetrated so the person is denied even the right to interact freely with their family.
There is also usually an associated threat that some harm will imminently occur to the person.
Under the Crimes Act 1900 the crime of stalking is defined as containing many other elements of abuse. http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1900-40/current/pdf/1900-40.pdf
The Crimes Act assumes that stalking is committed by one person known to the victim but I have been stalked for nearly 9 years by people I don't even know.
In a survey from the United States it was estimated that about 3.4 million people over the age of 18 were stalked. The report identified 7 types of behaviours as related to stalking;
making unwanted phone calls
sending unwanted emails or letters
following or spying on the victim
showing up at places where the victim is going
waiting for the victim
leaving unwanted items for the victim to find
posting rumours about the victim on the internet or in a public place
the whole of the US Department of Justice report is available
During the almost 9 years that I have been stalked I have been subjected to 6 of the above 7 behaviours, I am yet to receive unwanted letters or emails.
Just as I did not know the guy who raped me neither do I know the people who are involved in stalking me.
The way I understand it, is that it is a network of people and that they will text each other if I leave a place so that someone else can then follow me.
The only other crime that I can associate it with is the gang rapes of women in Sydney. During these rapes a woman would be abducted by one person and then text messages sent to a network of other people who would converge in one place to rape her.See post "What's in a name?" 2009
Also possibly the rape of the school girl in Tuggeranong in the ACT. After this girl was raped there were other people invoved in harassing her and her family.See post "Responding" 2009
As I am being stalked then so is my family.
I cannot take my son to school nor bring him home without someone either being at the school or on the way there to indicate we are being followed.
When we go swimming, or to the beach or even to a park nearby there will be someone there to make sure I am aware that we are being followed and watched.
My son has been stalked all of his life because I was raped.
It is a crime associated with following a person around from home to work and anywhere else the person goes to make them feel that they are being watched.
It can also involve stealing a person's private information in an attempt to harass them.
Stalking is a crime of psychological abuse where the person is made to feel that they are watched all the time.
Often there is little knowledge of how the crime is perpetrated so the person is denied even the right to interact freely with their family.
There is also usually an associated threat that some harm will imminently occur to the person.
Under the Crimes Act 1900 the crime of stalking is defined as containing many other elements of abuse. http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1900-40/current/pdf/1900-40.pdf
The Crimes Act assumes that stalking is committed by one person known to the victim but I have been stalked for nearly 9 years by people I don't even know.
In a survey from the United States it was estimated that about 3.4 million people over the age of 18 were stalked. The report identified 7 types of behaviours as related to stalking;
making unwanted phone calls
sending unwanted emails or letters
following or spying on the victim
showing up at places where the victim is going
waiting for the victim
leaving unwanted items for the victim to find
posting rumours about the victim on the internet or in a public place
the whole of the US Department of Justice report is available
During the almost 9 years that I have been stalked I have been subjected to 6 of the above 7 behaviours, I am yet to receive unwanted letters or emails.
Just as I did not know the guy who raped me neither do I know the people who are involved in stalking me.
The way I understand it, is that it is a network of people and that they will text each other if I leave a place so that someone else can then follow me.
The only other crime that I can associate it with is the gang rapes of women in Sydney. During these rapes a woman would be abducted by one person and then text messages sent to a network of other people who would converge in one place to rape her.See post "What's in a name?" 2009
Also possibly the rape of the school girl in Tuggeranong in the ACT. After this girl was raped there were other people invoved in harassing her and her family.See post "Responding" 2009
As I am being stalked then so is my family.
I cannot take my son to school nor bring him home without someone either being at the school or on the way there to indicate we are being followed.
When we go swimming, or to the beach or even to a park nearby there will be someone there to make sure I am aware that we are being followed and watched.
My son has been stalked all of his life because I was raped.
to Prosecute or Not to Prosecute
I had no choice or say in whether I was raped. He jumped out, knife in hand, beat me and raped me.
I have had no say in the subsequent abuse. No one has ever asked me about it.
I have had no say in the house break-ins.
I have had no say in the stalking.
When the detective asked me whether I wished to go ahead with prosecuting the 'person of interest' it is the only time when I have been given an opportunity to have a say in what might occur.
The 'person of interest' had made the decision to break into people's houses and to rape women. These were his choices and he is now in jail because of them. His decisions have caused injury to others and to himself.
The detective told me that because of the evidence against the 'person of interest' it was most likely that he would be found guilty.My decision to agree to prosecute him would therefore keep him in jail for even longer.
In trying to make a decision I was reminded of a story I had heard about Maya Angelou the American poet, author and activist. It is in her book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and I got this information from wikipedia.
When she was 8 years old Maya was raped by her mother's boyfriend. She told her brother about the rape and he told the rest of the family. The man was found guilty and jailed for one day. Four days later he was found kicked to death.
After this Maya did not speak for 5 years because she thought that "my voice killed him; I killed that man because I told his name."
To agree to prosecute the 'person of interest' would mean that that one word from me, 'yes', would change what would happen to this man's future.
I spoke to my friend's about the need to make a decision. Some of them had also suffered sexual abuse themselves and some had not. The most common reply was that agreeing to prosecute would keep an already convicted rapist in jail and would perhaps prevent some other women and girls from being raped.
WhenI spoke to the pastors wife she spoke of vengeance belonging to God, and it does (He has his own way of dealing with these things) and He abhors the abuse of the vunerable.
I have never had a desire to have the person who raped me jailed. Despite what he has done to me.
I don't think prison is an edifying environment. It doesn't work very well as a deterrent either as we are constantly building bigger prisons, and rates of recidivism are high. Reformation does not occur there often.
I did have alot of anger after the rape but the main question I had was 'why?'. That question can not be answered by sending him to jail.
It took several weeks to decide that I would agree to go ahead with prosecuting him. That decision was made mainly because I felt a need to bring a sort of conclusion to the rape. I'm sure that I have questions that I don't even know about yet, this process may or may not answer them.
I do know that now having made this decision I will have very little say in what occurs throughout the court processes and sentencing.
I have had no say in the subsequent abuse. No one has ever asked me about it.
I have had no say in the house break-ins.
I have had no say in the stalking.
When the detective asked me whether I wished to go ahead with prosecuting the 'person of interest' it is the only time when I have been given an opportunity to have a say in what might occur.
The 'person of interest' had made the decision to break into people's houses and to rape women. These were his choices and he is now in jail because of them. His decisions have caused injury to others and to himself.
The detective told me that because of the evidence against the 'person of interest' it was most likely that he would be found guilty.My decision to agree to prosecute him would therefore keep him in jail for even longer.
In trying to make a decision I was reminded of a story I had heard about Maya Angelou the American poet, author and activist. It is in her book "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and I got this information from wikipedia.
When she was 8 years old Maya was raped by her mother's boyfriend. She told her brother about the rape and he told the rest of the family. The man was found guilty and jailed for one day. Four days later he was found kicked to death.
After this Maya did not speak for 5 years because she thought that "my voice killed him; I killed that man because I told his name."
To agree to prosecute the 'person of interest' would mean that that one word from me, 'yes', would change what would happen to this man's future.
I spoke to my friend's about the need to make a decision. Some of them had also suffered sexual abuse themselves and some had not. The most common reply was that agreeing to prosecute would keep an already convicted rapist in jail and would perhaps prevent some other women and girls from being raped.
WhenI spoke to the pastors wife she spoke of vengeance belonging to God, and it does (He has his own way of dealing with these things) and He abhors the abuse of the vunerable.
I have never had a desire to have the person who raped me jailed. Despite what he has done to me.
I don't think prison is an edifying environment. It doesn't work very well as a deterrent either as we are constantly building bigger prisons, and rates of recidivism are high. Reformation does not occur there often.
I did have alot of anger after the rape but the main question I had was 'why?'. That question can not be answered by sending him to jail.
It took several weeks to decide that I would agree to go ahead with prosecuting him. That decision was made mainly because I felt a need to bring a sort of conclusion to the rape. I'm sure that I have questions that I don't even know about yet, this process may or may not answer them.
I do know that now having made this decision I will have very little say in what occurs throughout the court processes and sentencing.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Cold Case
One morning in October 2010, just as I was about to leave the house, I received a call from a detective in Campsie (a suburb of Sydney). He told me that a sample of blood found at the scene of my rape in 1999 had matched a DNA sample from a person who was in jail.
After more than 11 years since the rape to hear that someone had been found who might be responsible for it was something that I had definitly not expected.
The information seemed implausible to me and it took some time to consider that I might now find out who the rapist was.
The detective stated that the 'person of interest' whose DNA had matched the blood sample was currently in jail for having raped another woman one year before he raped me.
He had originally been arrested for property crimes (breaking into houses and theft) and on an initial cold case test his DNA had matched with the 1998 rape.
The use of DNA analysis for assisting in crime detection began with the ability to 'type' the DNA in 1984. In 1986 the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process allowed even small samples of DNA to be analysized.
This information comes from a fascinating book by Norah Rudin and Keith Inman called "An Introduction to Forensic DNA Analysis" 2nd edition. It has some great information about DNA analysis and how it all works and is speckled through with case examples.
In my case both the blood sample from the crime scene and samples from the sexual assault kit examination which I underwent, would have gone into a database of crimes and these would be matched against a database of DNA taken from individuals, generally prisoners. In Australia we have the National Criminal Identification DNA Database where the samples are stored. (1)
DNA is contained in the nucleus of cells and can be found in almost all body fluids and organs. It does deteriorate and more rapidly when in certain conditions but it is not possible for one persons DNA to deteriorate so much that it becomes another persons DNA, so as long as the sample taken is still viable it should be an accurate match. (2)
The Campsie detective asked me if I wished to go ahead with prosecuting the person who had been identified.
(1) "Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science" 2009 editors in chief Allen Jamieson and Andre Moenssens John Wiley and Sons Chichester ENG
(2) "An Introduction to Forensic DNA Analysis" 2002 2nd ed. Norah Rudin & Keith Inman
CRC Press
After more than 11 years since the rape to hear that someone had been found who might be responsible for it was something that I had definitly not expected.
The information seemed implausible to me and it took some time to consider that I might now find out who the rapist was.
The detective stated that the 'person of interest' whose DNA had matched the blood sample was currently in jail for having raped another woman one year before he raped me.
He had originally been arrested for property crimes (breaking into houses and theft) and on an initial cold case test his DNA had matched with the 1998 rape.
The use of DNA analysis for assisting in crime detection began with the ability to 'type' the DNA in 1984. In 1986 the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process allowed even small samples of DNA to be analysized.
This information comes from a fascinating book by Norah Rudin and Keith Inman called "An Introduction to Forensic DNA Analysis" 2nd edition. It has some great information about DNA analysis and how it all works and is speckled through with case examples.
In my case both the blood sample from the crime scene and samples from the sexual assault kit examination which I underwent, would have gone into a database of crimes and these would be matched against a database of DNA taken from individuals, generally prisoners. In Australia we have the National Criminal Identification DNA Database where the samples are stored. (1)
DNA is contained in the nucleus of cells and can be found in almost all body fluids and organs. It does deteriorate and more rapidly when in certain conditions but it is not possible for one persons DNA to deteriorate so much that it becomes another persons DNA, so as long as the sample taken is still viable it should be an accurate match. (2)
The Campsie detective asked me if I wished to go ahead with prosecuting the person who had been identified.
(1) "Wiley Encyclopedia of Forensic Science" 2009 editors in chief Allen Jamieson and Andre Moenssens John Wiley and Sons Chichester ENG
(2) "An Introduction to Forensic DNA Analysis" 2002 2nd ed. Norah Rudin & Keith Inman
CRC Press
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Comments
Just to let anyone know about comments sent to this blog.
Any comments sent go to my email address for 'moderation' and are not published directly to the blog site.
'Moderation' allows me the possibility of either rejecting the comment or publishing it but not editing it.
I am however unable to reply directly to any comments sent to my email unless an address for contact is given.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Posters
Since writing the post on telling others in November I have been designing posters and putting them up in the city and at Uni. in order to make people more aware of the incidence and impact of sexual assault.
Sometimes when I've been putting the posters up passers-by come up to me and tell me of the abuse which they had endured or efforts they had made against sexual exploitation. Knowing of others experiences makes my efforts seem more worthwhile.
These are some of the posters.
Sexual assault has been recognised as a crime against humanity since The Hague International Tribunal prosecutions after the war in Yugoslavia. However in times when there is no conflict women still experience violence
Women are subject to violence in the family (battering, sexual abuse of female children, dowry related violence, incest
deprivation of food, marital rape, female genital mutilation), to violence in the community (rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, trafficking in women, forced prostitution) and violence by the State (women in detention and rape during times of armed conflict). Preliminary report by Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy The United Nations Commission on Human Rights
A colleague at University told me that she was aware of 13 women who had been raped in 2009 yet only 2 of these women had been able to prosecute the offenders through the court process, this is despite our detailed laws against sexual crimes which stipulate different levels of sexual assault and their punitive consequences
Australia is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and also to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women but in order to stop violence of all forms, basic Human Rights most be accepted and recognized as the same for everyone, so along with posters against sexual abuse I have also been putting up posters asking for Human Rights for myself and my son.
Sometimes when I've been putting the posters up passers-by come up to me and tell me of the abuse which they had endured or efforts they had made against sexual exploitation. Knowing of others experiences makes my efforts seem more worthwhile.
These are some of the posters.
Sexual assault has been recognised as a crime against humanity since The Hague International Tribunal prosecutions after the war in Yugoslavia. However in times when there is no conflict women still experience violence
Women are subject to violence in the family (battering, sexual abuse of female children, dowry related violence, incest
deprivation of food, marital rape, female genital mutilation), to violence in the community (rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, trafficking in women, forced prostitution) and violence by the State (women in detention and rape during times of armed conflict). Preliminary report by Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy The United Nations Commission on Human Rights
A colleague at University told me that she was aware of 13 women who had been raped in 2009 yet only 2 of these women had been able to prosecute the offenders through the court process, this is despite our detailed laws against sexual crimes which stipulate different levels of sexual assault and their punitive consequences
Australia is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women and also to the Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women but in order to stop violence of all forms, basic Human Rights most be accepted and recognized as the same for everyone, so along with posters against sexual abuse I have also been putting up posters asking for Human Rights for myself and my son.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Telling Others
Telling other people about being raped or sexually abused is, I think, one of the most difficult things for a victim of rape or sexual abuse to do.
I do not know of a word that can describe the depth of fear, violation, humiliation and hurt that being raped causes and so without a language for the pain it becomes difficult to convey understanding to others.
When I was raped I had felt nothing and so I asked some of the nurses and a doctor at the hospital whether it was possible to be raped and yet feel nothing. The response's I received were that they didn't know, they didn't seem to want to know and they didn't want to talk about it.
Only my TAFE teacher, who was also a nurse, responded in the sort of way that you would wish someone to respond when you tell them you have been a victim of crime. His response was sympathetic, considerate and concerned, but I now know that for someone to respond like that is extremely rare.
cartoon by Leunig
When I was told that dissociating prevents any sense of sensation so that it is possible to be raped and have no feeling then I no longer spoke about the rape, not even to people I came to know well because I knew that I would not get the response I hoped for.
Other women who have been raped have also experienced similar problems in telling others.
"It's a phenomenon that experts say is a result of a tendency among survivors to blame themselves for their attackers' actions."
"The reason an admission of sex abuse by one victim led to others coming forward too related to their ability to realise they weren't responsible for the crimes perpetrated against them." (1)
The following excerpt is from A Story of Survival by Cicely
In the months following the rape when I heard people using terms of sexual abuse I did not say anything to them as it would have meant talking about the rape.
I remember once a woman who I knew even saying she had seen pictures of me and I replied "I don't think so" because I haven't made any pictures of myself. When I asked her what she meant she said "It doesn't matter". It seemed a strange conversation to me and at the time I could only imagine that any pictures would be made by the rapist but I couldn't say that to her because I couldn't talk about the rape.
Finally, however, in 2007 I did talk about the rape before a classroom of fellow students and though it took me about 20 minutes to recover, with the sound of my pulse throbbing through my ears, from then on I have been able to talk about it more and more releasing a lot of the fear that I used to have.
Over the past few years my family and I have had the house repeatedly broken into and my personal information stolen and I believe these crimes stem from the abuse I received after being rape. So in 2008 I wrote an article which was published in the Sydney Morning Herald about the rape and it's aftermath (February entry) hoping that by telling others the truth my family and I might live without harrasment.
I also spoke about the rape at the 2008 Reclaim The Night rally. However not long after that some more personal information was stolen.
Because of the abhorrent crime that rape and sexual abuse is I have continued to talk about it.
I remember last year being threatened with being beaten for wanting to distribute a leaflet I had made about the rape.
I have also spoken directly to people, sometimes I have been sworn at, told I am a liar and also a 'poor thing' and other times people have responded with concern, sometimes even telling me their own stories.
Then I started writing this blog which is not only about what has happened to me but which I hope will give some sort of understanding to others about the effect of sexual abuse.
On the fourth of August 2009 when I read the article in The Canberra Times (3) about the Tuggeranong school girl who had been raped, when I read how similar her story was to mine and also to the other girls who had been raped in Sydney (4) and how despite the articles in the press and the seeming public revulsion about rape, the attitude that rape victims are 'sluts' has not changed, I sat outside the Police Centre here that deals with sexual assaults, which is on a main roadway, I sat there from 10am to 4pm with two signs- one asking for Human Rights for victims of crime and another asking for privacy and truth.
Australian's should not need to go to such lengths to fight for basic rights as our laws are written to allow even criminals the right to defend themselves however when I remember how much my family and I have suffered because I was raped and when I read the articles concerning the girl in Tuggeranong who was raped, and how she and her family also suffered abuse then I believe such appalling crimes should be spoken of.
(1) Cazzulino Michelle 'Victims find courage to speak of sex abuse' Daily Telegraph Thursday August 15th 2002
(2) Cecily 1998 'A Story of Survival' Dulwich Centre
Journal 2&3 pp.64-67 Dulwich Centre Publications
(3)Towell, Noel 'Police investigate video claims amid teen sex charges' The Canberra Times 4th August 2009
(4)Wocknera, Cindy 'Magnificent Seven' Daily Telegraph Friday July 12th 2002
I do not know of a word that can describe the depth of fear, violation, humiliation and hurt that being raped causes and so without a language for the pain it becomes difficult to convey understanding to others.
When I was raped I had felt nothing and so I asked some of the nurses and a doctor at the hospital whether it was possible to be raped and yet feel nothing. The response's I received were that they didn't know, they didn't seem to want to know and they didn't want to talk about it.
Only my TAFE teacher, who was also a nurse, responded in the sort of way that you would wish someone to respond when you tell them you have been a victim of crime. His response was sympathetic, considerate and concerned, but I now know that for someone to respond like that is extremely rare.
cartoon by LeunigWhen I was told that dissociating prevents any sense of sensation so that it is possible to be raped and have no feeling then I no longer spoke about the rape, not even to people I came to know well because I knew that I would not get the response I hoped for.
Other women who have been raped have also experienced similar problems in telling others.
"It's a phenomenon that experts say is a result of a tendency among survivors to blame themselves for their attackers' actions."
"The reason an admission of sex abuse by one victim led to others coming forward too related to their ability to realise they weren't responsible for the crimes perpetrated against them." (1)
The following excerpt is from A Story of Survival by Cicely
Telling people wasn’t as easy as I thought because once I’d told people, or my mum had rung various members of my family, then when I saw the people who had been told they didn’t say anything to me. That was pretty hard to deal with. I guess they felt that maybe I didn’t want to talk about it.
In the months following the rape when I heard people using terms of sexual abuse I did not say anything to them as it would have meant talking about the rape.
I remember once a woman who I knew even saying she had seen pictures of me and I replied "I don't think so" because I haven't made any pictures of myself. When I asked her what she meant she said "It doesn't matter". It seemed a strange conversation to me and at the time I could only imagine that any pictures would be made by the rapist but I couldn't say that to her because I couldn't talk about the rape.
Finally, however, in 2007 I did talk about the rape before a classroom of fellow students and though it took me about 20 minutes to recover, with the sound of my pulse throbbing through my ears, from then on I have been able to talk about it more and more releasing a lot of the fear that I used to have.
Over the past few years my family and I have had the house repeatedly broken into and my personal information stolen and I believe these crimes stem from the abuse I received after being rape. So in 2008 I wrote an article which was published in the Sydney Morning Herald about the rape and it's aftermath (February entry) hoping that by telling others the truth my family and I might live without harrasment.
I also spoke about the rape at the 2008 Reclaim The Night rally. However not long after that some more personal information was stolen.
Because of the abhorrent crime that rape and sexual abuse is I have continued to talk about it.
I remember last year being threatened with being beaten for wanting to distribute a leaflet I had made about the rape.
I have also spoken directly to people, sometimes I have been sworn at, told I am a liar and also a 'poor thing' and other times people have responded with concern, sometimes even telling me their own stories.
Then I started writing this blog which is not only about what has happened to me but which I hope will give some sort of understanding to others about the effect of sexual abuse.
On the fourth of August 2009 when I read the article in The Canberra Times (3) about the Tuggeranong school girl who had been raped, when I read how similar her story was to mine and also to the other girls who had been raped in Sydney (4) and how despite the articles in the press and the seeming public revulsion about rape, the attitude that rape victims are 'sluts' has not changed, I sat outside the Police Centre here that deals with sexual assaults, which is on a main roadway, I sat there from 10am to 4pm with two signs- one asking for Human Rights for victims of crime and another asking for privacy and truth.
Australian's should not need to go to such lengths to fight for basic rights as our laws are written to allow even criminals the right to defend themselves however when I remember how much my family and I have suffered because I was raped and when I read the articles concerning the girl in Tuggeranong who was raped, and how she and her family also suffered abuse then I believe such appalling crimes should be spoken of.
(1) Cazzulino Michelle 'Victims find courage to speak of sex abuse' Daily Telegraph Thursday August 15th 2002
(2) Cecily 1998 'A Story of Survival' Dulwich Centre
Journal 2&3 pp.64-67 Dulwich Centre Publications
(3)Towell, Noel 'Police investigate video claims amid teen sex charges' The Canberra Times 4th August 2009
(4)Wocknera, Cindy 'Magnificent Seven' Daily Telegraph Friday July 12th 2002
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Responding
On the front page of Tuesday August 4th's 2009 Canberra Times there is an article claiming that a video was made of a teenage girl being sexually assaulted by three male teenagers. Afterwards the girl claims that she received phone calls and text messages from others taunting her about seeing a video of the assault.
In 2007 I remember a teenage school boy running across 3 empty traffic lanes, right up to the rear of my car screaming out 'whore' towards me. This boy's face was full of anger and accusation directed at someone he knew nothing about.
So in a society where anger and violence are acceptable ways of dealing with "interpersonal (school massacres) and international (bombing other peoples) issues"(1), where "images of violence and 'pimping and ho'ing '(whoring) are popularized by those who profit from them"(2) and where even children are sexualised through advertising and 'sexy' clothing styles(3) should we respond?
"For all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending; a touch in one place sets up movement at the other end of the earth."(4)
I have been reading a book entitled 'Conversations about Culture, Gender, Violence and Narrative Practice' (CCGVNP) which contains stories of women from different cultures who are responding to the violence within their communities. The violence is most often perpetrated by men.
The acceptance that violence and abuse are masculine models of expression destroys not only the lives of women and children but also withers up the dreams of boys and men.
In 'Raising Boys' Steve Biddulph talks about how inquisitive, loving and considerate boys slowly shut down "useful and healthy emotions like sadness, fear and tenderness" in order to cope in the schoolyard. "A boy hardens his feelings and tenses his body"(5).
In an interview with Bert (CCGVNP), who is in a program for domestic violence, he says
"I find that the need to be more dominant than somebody else is something I see ingrained in most men...My dad was (like that) and the way I look at it now, I can see now how he put that on me... how I learnt this from him.. and he probably learnt it from somebody else.."(6)
Also in CCGVNP there are copies of correspondence between two Islamic youths, one in Australia and one in Canada, and how these young men are trying to deal with racist, religious and personal taunts from other school students. These incidents are angering them and encouraging them to act in violent ways of which they are later ashamed. "Instead of talking about it I would just take the anger out on my mum."(7)
In one account from CCGVNP a young black man in North America"would talk about having seen friends die on the street. He would sit and look out the window rather than at (the counsellor) and we would hear the sound of the street while he would say,'It's like a war out there'...the metaphor of war seemed quite realistic as the prevalence of violent deaths of young men in North America is staggering. At the same time ...he would speak of the times of his childhood when he had spent days in the woods at his grandmother's place. These quite times, alone in the woods, were described with such longing."(8)
These young men are looking to change the roles society has cast them in.
Trudinger's paper on 'Young men, angry language and the language of anger' tells the story of Steve. Who is also trying to change from his past.
"Steve talked about an argument he had had only the night before with his mother, about what they would watch on television. He said some pretty inappropriate and hurtful things, but just before he thought he might become physically violent, he went to his room to 'chill-out'. He later approached his mother and said 'sorry'."
Saying sorry "turned out to mean a great deal: in times past, he would have expected to intimidate his mother to leave the room,...choosing to leave the room himself was a big step. Steve said it meant that he didn't want to subject his mother to anymore verbal abuse...he was showing to himself and his mum that he could control his anger, take responsibility for his actions and 'help things get better, not worse'. His apology, he said,'was real', and 'took a lot of guts'."(9)
Bert- "Before, I thought (the alpha male mentality) was just part of what men do...But if I realize this is just an idea, a powerful idea, ingrained on me by someone else...well that's different...To be a different sort of man is not weakness."(10)
Social behaviours are learned by modeling the behaviours of others. Watching role models we admire allows our brains to take on skills, attitudes and values that we can use ourselves(11). Fathers, uncles and older male friends who introduce boys to sports, hobbies and music or "involve them in creative work in a shed or garden"(12) are giving boys opportunities to broaden their self-image, especially through praise.
Boys without these influences can adopt hobbies which make them feel masculine like "action figures with huge muscles, guns, trucks and so on."(13) and they may also adopt tough and uncaring attitudes.
By watching men express emotions like sadness, fear and love boys will also learn that these emotions are acceptable and expressible for a man (14). "So they do not have to be bottled up and volcanic when (they meet) the inevitable griefs of life."(15)
Biddulph states that anger though is usually the most comfortable emotion for men(16). Anger however is an emotion that is used to cover up other emotions such as fear, humiliation, hurt, disappointment etc. and it is almost invariably directed at someone else (17). Womens experience of men's expression of anger "can intimidate and silence"(18).
The book CCGVNP talks about using communities as a resource for responding to violence. The Indigenous Women's Patrols of Yirrkala and Gunyangara use kindness and humour when dealing with violent situations 'We always approach people with kindness, even if they are acting badly...We respect them and in turn this means that they respect us"(19) These women combine family, key community members and culture to resolve issues of violence.
The Creative Interventions project in Oaklands California also incorporates the intimate family and community networks which already exist to deal with domestic violence. An example they give is "I remember that my cousin and his friends helped this girl who was being beaten up by her dad. They went to his house and told him that they knew what was happening and he'd better not do it again."(20) These stories strengthen community based interventions.
(1)Akamatsu N 2007 A question about how violence becomes normalised in Conversations about Culture, Gender, Violence and Narrative Practice Yeun A & White C ed. Dulwich Centre Publications p. 120
(2)Berndt L 2007 On meeting Dawn in CCGVNP 'as above' p.93
(3)Biddulph S 2003 Raising Boys Finch Publishing Sydney p.119
(4)Dostoyevsky F 1952 The Brothers Karamazov Brittanica Chicago p.168
(5)Biddulph S 'as above' p.118
(6)Gray N 2007 Responding to men's violence in CCGVNP 'as above' p.142,143
(7)Yuen A 2007 Young men and violence in CCGVNP p.187
(8)Gray N 2007 ibid. p.147
(9)Trudinger M 200 Young men, angry language and the language of anger Gecko no.3 Dulwich Centre Publications p.47,48
(10)Gray N 2007 ibid. p.143
(11)Biddulph S 2003 'as above' p.147
(12)ibid. p.143
(13)ibid. p.143
(14)ibid.p.68
(15)ibid.p.69 A letter from Tony S.
(16)ibid. p.69
(17)Gordon T 2000 Parent Effectiveness Training Three Rivers Press New York p.143
(18)Trudinger 'as above' p.36
(19)Mununggirritj D & Yunupingu M 2007 The work of the community patrol in CCGVNP p.58
(20)Kim M 2007 Alternative interventions to violence in CCGVNP p.38
In 2007 I remember a teenage school boy running across 3 empty traffic lanes, right up to the rear of my car screaming out 'whore' towards me. This boy's face was full of anger and accusation directed at someone he knew nothing about.
So in a society where anger and violence are acceptable ways of dealing with "interpersonal (school massacres) and international (bombing other peoples) issues"(1), where "images of violence and 'pimping and ho'ing '(whoring) are popularized by those who profit from them"(2) and where even children are sexualised through advertising and 'sexy' clothing styles(3) should we respond?
"For all is like an ocean, all is flowing and blending; a touch in one place sets up movement at the other end of the earth."(4)
I have been reading a book entitled 'Conversations about Culture, Gender, Violence and Narrative Practice' (CCGVNP) which contains stories of women from different cultures who are responding to the violence within their communities. The violence is most often perpetrated by men.
The acceptance that violence and abuse are masculine models of expression destroys not only the lives of women and children but also withers up the dreams of boys and men.
In 'Raising Boys' Steve Biddulph talks about how inquisitive, loving and considerate boys slowly shut down "useful and healthy emotions like sadness, fear and tenderness" in order to cope in the schoolyard. "A boy hardens his feelings and tenses his body"(5).
In an interview with Bert (CCGVNP), who is in a program for domestic violence, he says
"I find that the need to be more dominant than somebody else is something I see ingrained in most men...My dad was (like that) and the way I look at it now, I can see now how he put that on me... how I learnt this from him.. and he probably learnt it from somebody else.."(6)
Also in CCGVNP there are copies of correspondence between two Islamic youths, one in Australia and one in Canada, and how these young men are trying to deal with racist, religious and personal taunts from other school students. These incidents are angering them and encouraging them to act in violent ways of which they are later ashamed. "Instead of talking about it I would just take the anger out on my mum."(7)
In one account from CCGVNP a young black man in North America"would talk about having seen friends die on the street. He would sit and look out the window rather than at (the counsellor) and we would hear the sound of the street while he would say,'It's like a war out there'...the metaphor of war seemed quite realistic as the prevalence of violent deaths of young men in North America is staggering. At the same time ...he would speak of the times of his childhood when he had spent days in the woods at his grandmother's place. These quite times, alone in the woods, were described with such longing."(8)
These young men are looking to change the roles society has cast them in.
Trudinger's paper on 'Young men, angry language and the language of anger' tells the story of Steve. Who is also trying to change from his past.
"Steve talked about an argument he had had only the night before with his mother, about what they would watch on television. He said some pretty inappropriate and hurtful things, but just before he thought he might become physically violent, he went to his room to 'chill-out'. He later approached his mother and said 'sorry'."
Saying sorry "turned out to mean a great deal: in times past, he would have expected to intimidate his mother to leave the room,...choosing to leave the room himself was a big step. Steve said it meant that he didn't want to subject his mother to anymore verbal abuse...he was showing to himself and his mum that he could control his anger, take responsibility for his actions and 'help things get better, not worse'. His apology, he said,'was real', and 'took a lot of guts'."(9)
Bert- "Before, I thought (the alpha male mentality) was just part of what men do...But if I realize this is just an idea, a powerful idea, ingrained on me by someone else...well that's different...To be a different sort of man is not weakness."(10)
Social behaviours are learned by modeling the behaviours of others. Watching role models we admire allows our brains to take on skills, attitudes and values that we can use ourselves(11). Fathers, uncles and older male friends who introduce boys to sports, hobbies and music or "involve them in creative work in a shed or garden"(12) are giving boys opportunities to broaden their self-image, especially through praise.
Boys without these influences can adopt hobbies which make them feel masculine like "action figures with huge muscles, guns, trucks and so on."(13) and they may also adopt tough and uncaring attitudes.
By watching men express emotions like sadness, fear and love boys will also learn that these emotions are acceptable and expressible for a man (14). "So they do not have to be bottled up and volcanic when (they meet) the inevitable griefs of life."(15)
Biddulph states that anger though is usually the most comfortable emotion for men(16). Anger however is an emotion that is used to cover up other emotions such as fear, humiliation, hurt, disappointment etc. and it is almost invariably directed at someone else (17). Womens experience of men's expression of anger "can intimidate and silence"(18).
The book CCGVNP talks about using communities as a resource for responding to violence. The Indigenous Women's Patrols of Yirrkala and Gunyangara use kindness and humour when dealing with violent situations 'We always approach people with kindness, even if they are acting badly...We respect them and in turn this means that they respect us"(19) These women combine family, key community members and culture to resolve issues of violence.
The Creative Interventions project in Oaklands California also incorporates the intimate family and community networks which already exist to deal with domestic violence. An example they give is "I remember that my cousin and his friends helped this girl who was being beaten up by her dad. They went to his house and told him that they knew what was happening and he'd better not do it again."(20) These stories strengthen community based interventions.
(1)Akamatsu N 2007 A question about how violence becomes normalised in Conversations about Culture, Gender, Violence and Narrative Practice Yeun A & White C ed. Dulwich Centre Publications p. 120
(2)Berndt L 2007 On meeting Dawn in CCGVNP 'as above' p.93
(3)Biddulph S 2003 Raising Boys Finch Publishing Sydney p.119
(4)Dostoyevsky F 1952 The Brothers Karamazov Brittanica Chicago p.168
(5)Biddulph S 'as above' p.118
(6)Gray N 2007 Responding to men's violence in CCGVNP 'as above' p.142,143
(7)Yuen A 2007 Young men and violence in CCGVNP p.187
(8)Gray N 2007 ibid. p.147
(9)Trudinger M 200 Young men, angry language and the language of anger Gecko no.3 Dulwich Centre Publications p.47,48
(10)Gray N 2007 ibid. p.143
(11)Biddulph S 2003 'as above' p.147
(12)ibid. p.143
(13)ibid. p.143
(14)ibid.p.68
(15)ibid.p.69 A letter from Tony S.
(16)ibid. p.69
(17)Gordon T 2000 Parent Effectiveness Training Three Rivers Press New York p.143
(18)Trudinger 'as above' p.36
(19)Mununggirritj D & Yunupingu M 2007 The work of the community patrol in CCGVNP p.58
(20)Kim M 2007 Alternative interventions to violence in CCGVNP p.38
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Conformity
Conformity is doing what others do without questioning it.
This picture of 'human lemmings' is from www.surrealart.com/
Conformity is about complying with social behaviour to avoid rejection or gain social approval(1).
Studies in psychology by Baron (1996)(2) showed that students who were uncertain about the right answer would conform to a colleagues answer, which was deliberately wrong,50% of the time, especially when it seemed important.
There is a famous study by Professor Stanley Milgram in which 63% of 'teachers' were willing to give shocks of up to 450 volts to 'learners' when they were asked to by an authority figure(3).
This study not only showed compliance with authority but also, as Myers in his book 'Psychology' points out, by starting at a small voltage and then escalating it step by step the 'teachers' were able to justify the small action in their minds and that made it easier to go to the next step and so progressing through to the end(4).
A quote from one of the students in Hamarus' and Kaikkonen's study on bullying reflects this gradual acceptance
"there were a few ...who always said to him/her like 'shut up' and then like, well okay, maybe that was a bit nasty and wrong, but not now"(5).
Myers states that these "experiments demonstrate that strong social influences can make people conform to falsehoods or capitulate to cruelty"(6).
The desire to be seen to be the same as others is a trait used by bullies in order to gain social standing and power(7). Bullies emphasize negative differences in another student through tale-telling(8) and create an 'us' group that other students will conform to due to a fear of social punishment(9).
The example they use in the article is that of fatness. If fatness is seen as culturally unacceptable within the pupil community then cases of anorexia nervosa will develop (10).
Sexual harassment also relies on others accepting and agreeing to harassing behaviour.
Sexual harassment usually begins in high school and occurs to both girls and boys. These young people will be grabbed and groped and sexually ridiculed by other, usually male, students.
In his book "Raising Boys" Steven Biddulph states that at his high school 2 boys in his class would catcall crudely whenever a young girl, whose breasts had developed earlier than those of others, walked into the classroom.
"I think we all wished they would stop...they made her life miserable. I wished we had had a strong enough boy-culture to tackle them,tell them to stop, to confront the stupidity and cruelty of it."(11)
Yet this behaviour is seen by perpetrators as "just part of school life...a lot of people do it...it's no big deal"(12).
The idea that the bodies of women are available to be abused and the behaviour that goes with it is carried through by some men into college where male peer support networks encourage other men, who may experience stress in dating, into sexually, physically or psychologically abusing women(13).
Of course once this behaviour is seen as acceptable amongst groups of men it is also carried through into the workplace.
Again from Biddulph "In a suburban... office, three... senior men crowd into a small office and close the door. The seventeen-year-old receptionist looks up nervously, because this has happened before. The men surround her and ...make comments on her clothes and inquire...about her sex life. When they finally leave, she collapses into tears."(14)
Also now as "imagery of urban pimp lifestyle has been taken up in rap and hip hop culture, and popularised by record companies in a way that perpetuates misuse of African American symbols"(15) the 'pimping' and sexual exploitation of women is being included into popular culture in a way that increases conformity with these behaviours of sexual harassment.
"'Creep' is a word given to people who act sexually with no feeling for others."
"where ever no women are present...the quite ugly way the (teenage) boys talk about women and girls is unsettling...The talk is just a macho pose. Others may not be joking...A big problem is that, since this is the boy-culture where attitudes are being shaped, younger boys in these settings will think this is how they are supposed to talk, feel and behave towards women"(16) unaware of the inappropriatness of their behaviour and of its impact on women.
(1)Myers D 2001 Psychology 6th edn. Worth publishers USA p.652
(2)ibid p.652
(3)ibid p.653
(4)ibid p.655
(5)Hamarus P & Kaikkonen P 2008 School bullying as a creator of pupil pressure Educational Research vol.50 no.4 p.342
(6)Myers 'as above' p.655
(7)Hamarus & Kaikkonen 'as above' p.338
(8)ibid p.342
(9)ibid p.342
(10)ibid p.342
(11)Biddulph S 2003 Raising Boys 2nd edn. Finch Publishing Sydney p.114
(12)Kopels S & Dupper D 1999 School based peer sexual harassment Child Welfare vol.LXXVIII no.4 p.457
(13)Schwartz & DeKeseredy 2000 Aggregation bias and woman abuse Journal of Interpersonal Violence 15 p.557
(14)Biddulph S 2003 raising Boys 2nd edn. Finch Publishing Sydney p.111
(15)Berndt L On meeting Dawn from Conversations about Gender, Culture, Violence and Narrative Practice edn Yuen A & White C 2007 Dulwich Centre Publications Adelaide p.92
(16)Biddulph S 'as above' p.111
This picture of 'human lemmings' is from www.surrealart.com/
Conformity is about complying with social behaviour to avoid rejection or gain social approval(1).
Studies in psychology by Baron (1996)(2) showed that students who were uncertain about the right answer would conform to a colleagues answer, which was deliberately wrong,50% of the time, especially when it seemed important.
There is a famous study by Professor Stanley Milgram in which 63% of 'teachers' were willing to give shocks of up to 450 volts to 'learners' when they were asked to by an authority figure(3).
This study not only showed compliance with authority but also, as Myers in his book 'Psychology' points out, by starting at a small voltage and then escalating it step by step the 'teachers' were able to justify the small action in their minds and that made it easier to go to the next step and so progressing through to the end(4).
A quote from one of the students in Hamarus' and Kaikkonen's study on bullying reflects this gradual acceptance
"there were a few ...who always said to him/her like 'shut up' and then like, well okay, maybe that was a bit nasty and wrong, but not now"(5).
Myers states that these "experiments demonstrate that strong social influences can make people conform to falsehoods or capitulate to cruelty"(6).
The desire to be seen to be the same as others is a trait used by bullies in order to gain social standing and power(7). Bullies emphasize negative differences in another student through tale-telling(8) and create an 'us' group that other students will conform to due to a fear of social punishment(9).
The example they use in the article is that of fatness. If fatness is seen as culturally unacceptable within the pupil community then cases of anorexia nervosa will develop (10).
Sexual harassment also relies on others accepting and agreeing to harassing behaviour.
Sexual harassment usually begins in high school and occurs to both girls and boys. These young people will be grabbed and groped and sexually ridiculed by other, usually male, students.
In his book "Raising Boys" Steven Biddulph states that at his high school 2 boys in his class would catcall crudely whenever a young girl, whose breasts had developed earlier than those of others, walked into the classroom.
"I think we all wished they would stop...they made her life miserable. I wished we had had a strong enough boy-culture to tackle them,tell them to stop, to confront the stupidity and cruelty of it."(11)
Yet this behaviour is seen by perpetrators as "just part of school life...a lot of people do it...it's no big deal"(12).
The idea that the bodies of women are available to be abused and the behaviour that goes with it is carried through by some men into college where male peer support networks encourage other men, who may experience stress in dating, into sexually, physically or psychologically abusing women(13).
Of course once this behaviour is seen as acceptable amongst groups of men it is also carried through into the workplace.
Again from Biddulph "In a suburban... office, three... senior men crowd into a small office and close the door. The seventeen-year-old receptionist looks up nervously, because this has happened before. The men surround her and ...make comments on her clothes and inquire...about her sex life. When they finally leave, she collapses into tears."(14)
Also now as "imagery of urban pimp lifestyle has been taken up in rap and hip hop culture, and popularised by record companies in a way that perpetuates misuse of African American symbols"(15) the 'pimping' and sexual exploitation of women is being included into popular culture in a way that increases conformity with these behaviours of sexual harassment.
"'Creep' is a word given to people who act sexually with no feeling for others."
"where ever no women are present...the quite ugly way the (teenage) boys talk about women and girls is unsettling...The talk is just a macho pose. Others may not be joking...A big problem is that, since this is the boy-culture where attitudes are being shaped, younger boys in these settings will think this is how they are supposed to talk, feel and behave towards women"(16) unaware of the inappropriatness of their behaviour and of its impact on women.
(1)Myers D 2001 Psychology 6th edn. Worth publishers USA p.652
(2)ibid p.652
(3)ibid p.653
(4)ibid p.655
(5)Hamarus P & Kaikkonen P 2008 School bullying as a creator of pupil pressure Educational Research vol.50 no.4 p.342
(6)Myers 'as above' p.655
(7)Hamarus & Kaikkonen 'as above' p.338
(8)ibid p.342
(9)ibid p.342
(10)ibid p.342
(11)Biddulph S 2003 Raising Boys 2nd edn. Finch Publishing Sydney p.114
(12)Kopels S & Dupper D 1999 School based peer sexual harassment Child Welfare vol.LXXVIII no.4 p.457
(13)Schwartz & DeKeseredy 2000 Aggregation bias and woman abuse Journal of Interpersonal Violence 15 p.557
(14)Biddulph S 2003 raising Boys 2nd edn. Finch Publishing Sydney p.111
(15)Berndt L On meeting Dawn from Conversations about Gender, Culture, Violence and Narrative Practice edn Yuen A & White C 2007 Dulwich Centre Publications Adelaide p.92
(16)Biddulph S 'as above' p.111
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The other why?
So why do some men react in ways that might injure those around them?
Studies in Social Psychology also show that individuals who watch pornographic material are more likely to interpret womens behaviour, which is just friendly as being sexual and they will also view sexual aggression as less serious(14).
-anger is an expression of extreme or passionate displeasure
-aggression is the practice of attacking without provocation
-violence is behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill
-abuse is the physical, sexual or psychological maltreatment of another person(1)
This emotion and these behaviours do occur seperately but sometimes together.In Australia, they are seen as culturally acceptable ways for men, in particular to express themselves eg. sports players and movie heroes(2).
Anger and violence are often combined in domestic violence.
Social learning theory states that children model their behaviour on the behaviours they observe in their social environment. So that when children witness spousal violence in the home they then learn to act and relate to others in the same way, especially if the child identifies with the perpetrator(3).
Violence is seen as an effective means of changing behaviour, a way of achieving an end.
Violence is seen as an effective means of changing behaviour, a way of achieving an end.
Bevan and Harris' research on a small sample (39) of men receiving counselling for domestic violence found that there was a link between witnessing family violence and physical abuse as a child to later perpetrating psychological spousal abuse(4).Neglect, sexual abuse and psychological abuse as a child were seen as predicting the possibility of later physical abuse of a spouse.
So through their research domestic violence was not just a learned behaviour but other complex processes such as child maltreatment were also involved (5).
So through their research domestic violence was not just a learned behaviour but other complex processes such as child maltreatment were also involved (5).
Trudinger in an article on young men and anger refers to our culture as a 'culture of violence'(6) because he states that in certain contexts we see violence as acceptable. Though it may not be seen as the 'proper' thing to do violence is seen to be effective and is therefore often used by parents and teachers. But violence is a way of forcing things upon others and does not teach right from wrong nor other ways of engaging.
"I can think of no more powerful instrument to crush the spirit of children than being beaten by those adults who love them" (7).
Anger and violence are also dominant constructions of masculinity(8). It is culturally acceptable for men to display anger whereas it is not acceptable for women to do so.
"I can think of no more powerful instrument to crush the spirit of children than being beaten by those adults who love them" (7).
Anger and violence are also dominant constructions of masculinity(8). It is culturally acceptable for men to display anger whereas it is not acceptable for women to do so.
In a culture were violence is an accepted norm for men therefore sexual violence would seem inevitiable.
In studies on college students in Canada, Schwartz and DeKeseredy found that men who engaged in sexually violent behaviours actually encouraged their male peers to engage in the sexual, physical or psychological abuse of women(9). Schwartz and DeKeseredy call it proabuse male peer support and found that it was a key determinant of the abuse of women in both dating and marriage(10).
The men who engaged in this abuse were more likely to believe that men have power and control over women in intimate relationships(11) and they provided guidance and advice to influence and encourage other men to also engage in similar abuse(12), which included using physical force to make a girlfriend accede to a demand(13) .
Violence is therefore not only learnt in the home and accepted within our culture but there are men who support and encourage others in the abuse of women. The complexities of this 'why?' would be historically and culturally far reaching.
Picture is by Gary Larson from Myers 'Psychology'
Picture is by Gary Larson from Myers 'Psychology'
Studies in Social Psychology also show that individuals who watch pornographic material are more likely to interpret womens behaviour, which is just friendly as being sexual and they will also view sexual aggression as less serious(14). In a study by Malamuth and Check (1981) men who watched films with some sexual violence stated that they would be more likely to commit rape if they thought they could get away with it than men who had watched non-sexual films(15).
By combining violence with sexual films mens acceptance of aggression against women increases.
Films and television do influence our behaviours. They provide us with social scripts- constructed ways of behaving within our culture- so that when we are in an unfamiliar situation
sometimes we will rely on these constructed scripts to interpret others behaviour and to influence our own(16).
sometimes we will rely on these constructed scripts to interpret others behaviour and to influence our own(16).
(1)The Australian Oxford Dictionary 2004 edited by Bruce Moore 2nd edn Oxford University Press
(2)Trudinger M 2000 Young men, angry language and the language of anger Gecko no. 3 Dulwich Centre Publications p.35
(3)Bevan E & Higgins D 2002 Is domestic violence learned? the contribution of five forms of child maltreatment to men's violence and adjustment Journal of Family Violence vol.17 no.3 p.225
(4)ibid. p. 241
(5)ibid. p. 24
(6)Trudinger as above p.35
(7)Hardy K 2002 To be a healer not a jailer: implications for therapists in moving beyond punishment The International Journal of Narrative Therapy and Community Work
2002 Dulwich Centre Publications No.2 http://www.dulwichcentre.com.au/
2002 Dulwich Centre Publications No.2 http://www.dulwichcentre.com.au/
(8)Trudinger as above p.36
(9) Schwartz M & DeKeseredy W 2000 Aggregation bias and woman abuse Journal of Interpersonal Violence vol.15 p.557
(10)ibid. p.557
(11)ibid. p.559
(12)ibid. p.560
(13)ibid. p.559
(13)ibid. p.559
(14)Myers D 2001 Psychology 6th edn. Worth Publishers New York p.673
(15)ibid. p.674
(16)ibid. p.674
(15)ibid. p.674
(16)ibid. p.674
Why?
In one episode of the series 'Geldof in Africa'(1) Bob Geldof tells a horrific story of one warlord's kidnapping and subsequent abuse of children.
Listening to the story it is hard to believe how someone could treat another human being in that way.
And you ask yourself why?
Is it merely because they have power and no one stops them that they use their power to abuse?
Why?
This is the question I wanted answered after I was raped.
The following theories may be useful in trying to answer that question but they are not sufficient and may not be useful for everyone.
These 5 theories for possible motivations for rape have been identified by Polaschek and Ward (2002)(2). In a study by Beech, Ward and Fisher (2009) these theories were assessed through interviews with 41 jailed rapists.
-25 of the men interviewed fitted into the theory that other people had treated them abusively and because of this they carried "entrenched feelings of resentment and anger"(3). These men thought that other people wanted to hurt them and because they believed themselves capable of retaliating then they wanted instead to dominate and control others who they saw as threatening to them, often a partner or ex-partner(4).
-The theory that women are sexual objects was held by 21 of the men. Men holding this theory believed that women's desires centred around sex and therefore they should always be receptive and avaliable to men's desire for sex, even if it's coerced(5). This theory precludes women from being recognized as individual and autonomous persons.
-That men are entitled to take sex if they want it was a theory held by 18 of the men. They believed that because they are men and more powerful then their needs are more important than those of others and they are therefore entitled to do whatever they like(6) .
-6 of the men believed that they were unable to control their sex drive. So their loss of control was instead blamed on the woman or other features of the environment (7) .
-The final theory held by 3 of the men was that women are mean and spiteful and always trying to con men so all interactions with women must be hostile(8) .
These theories were held in combinations amongst the men. Some of the men were motivated more by sexual desires and others by anger and hostility, also there were those whose motives were sadistic and who needed to exert power through sexually humiliating and psychologically distressing the woman(9).
All of these theories contain the idea of power being exerted over another human being either because the offender believes they have the right to do that or because they feel that they can.
Ward suggests that these theories generate the thoughts and motivational beliefs that construct the world at a functioning level(10) for these men. He considers these theories to be 'cognitive distortions'. That is the information that has been acquired, organised and transformed by these men from their social environment has been developed into social behaviour and functioning that can be injurious to others(11).
Considering that most rapes are not reported and of those that are only one in 100 is likely to achieve a conviction(12) the very sad implication from this research seems to be that there are alot of men in our society whose view of the world and of their relationships with women is shaped by these theories. "These offenders are a good deal more like other people than most people would like to think"(13).
(1)Bob Geldof 2006 Geldof in Africa WEA Productions
(2)Polaschek and Ward (2002) cited in Beech A, Ward T & Fisher D 2009 The identification of sexual and violent motivations in men who assault women: implication for treatment Journal of Interpersonal Violence vol.21 no.12 pp.1636
(3)ibid. p.1641
(4)ibid. p.1637
(5)ibid. p.1641 & p.1637
(6)ibid. p.1642
(7)ibid. p.1637
(8)ibid. p.1638
(9)ibid. p.1648
(10)ibid. p.1637
(11)"social cognition n." A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M Colman Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford reference Online. Oxford University Press
(12)Donnelly M "Our society is so easy on rape that it's a crime" Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday June 19th 2001
(13) Beech A, Ward T & Fisher D - same article as above- p. 1636
Listening to the story it is hard to believe how someone could treat another human being in that way.
And you ask yourself why?
Is it merely because they have power and no one stops them that they use their power to abuse?
Why?
This is the question I wanted answered after I was raped.
The following theories may be useful in trying to answer that question but they are not sufficient and may not be useful for everyone.
These 5 theories for possible motivations for rape have been identified by Polaschek and Ward (2002)(2). In a study by Beech, Ward and Fisher (2009) these theories were assessed through interviews with 41 jailed rapists.
-25 of the men interviewed fitted into the theory that other people had treated them abusively and because of this they carried "entrenched feelings of resentment and anger"(3). These men thought that other people wanted to hurt them and because they believed themselves capable of retaliating then they wanted instead to dominate and control others who they saw as threatening to them, often a partner or ex-partner(4).
-The theory that women are sexual objects was held by 21 of the men. Men holding this theory believed that women's desires centred around sex and therefore they should always be receptive and avaliable to men's desire for sex, even if it's coerced(5). This theory precludes women from being recognized as individual and autonomous persons.
-That men are entitled to take sex if they want it was a theory held by 18 of the men. They believed that because they are men and more powerful then their needs are more important than those of others and they are therefore entitled to do whatever they like(6) .
-6 of the men believed that they were unable to control their sex drive. So their loss of control was instead blamed on the woman or other features of the environment (7) .
-The final theory held by 3 of the men was that women are mean and spiteful and always trying to con men so all interactions with women must be hostile(8) .
These theories were held in combinations amongst the men. Some of the men were motivated more by sexual desires and others by anger and hostility, also there were those whose motives were sadistic and who needed to exert power through sexually humiliating and psychologically distressing the woman(9).
All of these theories contain the idea of power being exerted over another human being either because the offender believes they have the right to do that or because they feel that they can.
Ward suggests that these theories generate the thoughts and motivational beliefs that construct the world at a functioning level(10) for these men. He considers these theories to be 'cognitive distortions'. That is the information that has been acquired, organised and transformed by these men from their social environment has been developed into social behaviour and functioning that can be injurious to others(11).
Considering that most rapes are not reported and of those that are only one in 100 is likely to achieve a conviction(12) the very sad implication from this research seems to be that there are alot of men in our society whose view of the world and of their relationships with women is shaped by these theories. "These offenders are a good deal more like other people than most people would like to think"(13).
(1)Bob Geldof 2006 Geldof in Africa WEA Productions
(2)Polaschek and Ward (2002) cited in Beech A, Ward T & Fisher D 2009 The identification of sexual and violent motivations in men who assault women: implication for treatment Journal of Interpersonal Violence vol.21 no.12 pp.1636
(3)ibid. p.1641
(4)ibid. p.1637
(5)ibid. p.1641 & p.1637
(6)ibid. p.1642
(7)ibid. p.1637
(8)ibid. p.1638
(9)ibid. p.1648
(10)ibid. p.1637
(11)"social cognition n." A Dictionary of Psychology. Edited by Andrew M Colman Oxford University Press 2009. Oxford reference Online. Oxford University Press
(12)Donnelly M "Our society is so easy on rape that it's a crime" Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday June 19th 2001
(13) Beech A, Ward T & Fisher D - same article as above- p. 1636
Poetry
The Rape
Surreal, unreal, unfeel
My pants to my knees
Bare bum on stony ground
Round white legs mottled grey like his cock
Under the streetlights
Under the needle-leaf Casuarina
My pants to my knees
My blood on my clothes, my shoes, my skin
My blood staining dark his knife's edge
Sharpened edge held to my side
The whole time
The whole length of time
Surreal
Unfeel
Surreal, unreal, unfeel
My pants to my knees
Bare bum on stony ground
Round white legs mottled grey like his cock
Under the streetlights
Under the needle-leaf Casuarina
My pants to my knees
My blood on my clothes, my shoes, my skin
My blood staining dark his knife's edge
Sharpened edge held to my side
The whole time
The whole length of time
Surreal
Unfeel
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Dealing with the Pain
It's a near pitch black, ice cold pre-dawn. Only the light of a single streetlight 30 metres away allows visibility.
You are on your stomach. Your face is pressed into the gnarled surface of a concrete footbridge. Your pants are to your knees.
A stranger lies on your back, heavy as lead. The blade of his knife you hold in your right hand. He holds the handle. His other hand is down between your legs.
He lets go of the knife. You grab it now with both hands.
Thwack!Whack! He beats your hands into the concrete. Thwack again! Your face hits the concrete as he starts to beat you in the head.
His weight lifts from your body. You spin around to face him. He takes the knife.
He guides you under some trees and rapes you there with the knife held to your side.
How would you deal with the pain from something like that? How would you deal with the violation , the humiliation, the anger?
Then months later in a shopping centre- "You know she's a slut". And later still "Slut" "There's slut" "Whore" etc., etc., etc.
So this is the " Blow upon a Bruise"(1) The pain that is inflicted before you are even healed from the first blow.
I cannot explain why people think that abusing a complete stranger is acceptable just because a rapist says so. I am not a slut and was never called one until after I was raped but this has been my experience since the rape and only 1 man so far has come to me and apologised for abusing me.
And how would you deal with this added pain? This inexplicable callous abuse not of your body this time but of your sense of self?
I remember I would come home from work and just sit in the bathtub with the shower water running on my head. The droplets falling on my head and shoulders, the sound of the water in my ears -blocking out everything else. I didn't have to think about anything. I just sat there for an hour and a half or two doing nothing believing that at least I had the sanctity of the privacy of my home.
I was not able to talk about the rape then and this is often the case with victims of sexual abuse. Due to self-doubts and guilt and fear they will not speak about the crimes committed against them(2).
But now I do talk about it and write poetry about the rape and the abuse which is one way I have found to deal with it.
In a Story of Survival by Cecily she also speaks of using water not only to cleanse her after being raped but rather to soothe her.
"I didn’t feel dirty or ashamed after I was raped. I was scared, freaked out, and then really, really angry. I remember at the time just wanting to scream and let out a kind of roar of rage. At the end of the night, after going back to where the rape had happened with the police, after medical examinations and after talking with the police for hours and hours, I finally came home and had a shower. But it wasn’t because I felt dirty or embarrassed or ashamed, it was because I was so tired and water can be so soothing. "(3)
In a story by Zoe http://www.survivingtothriving.org/shareyourstory
she talks of disassociation, derealization, suicidal depression, self-mutilation and panic attacks plus other clinical manifestations after the rape.
These are symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which occurs to about one third of women post rape(3).
Research indicates that talking about rape soon after it has occurred reduces the risk of PTSD(4). Above all " present control over one's recovery process" was the most influential component in lessening the symptoms of PTSD(5).
Unfortunately alot of rape and sexual abuse victims also choose alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of the abuse.
(1)Peters J & Kaye L 2003 Chidhood sexual abuse: a review of its impact on older women entering institutional settings Clinical Gerontologist vol. 26 no.3/4 pp.41
(4)Ullman S, Filipas H, Townsend S & Starzynski L 2007 Psychosocial correlates of PTSD symptom severity in sexual assault survivors Journal of Traumatic Stress vol.20 no.5 pp.821
(5)ibid. p.827
(6)ibid. p.829
You are on your stomach. Your face is pressed into the gnarled surface of a concrete footbridge. Your pants are to your knees.
A stranger lies on your back, heavy as lead. The blade of his knife you hold in your right hand. He holds the handle. His other hand is down between your legs.
He lets go of the knife. You grab it now with both hands.
Thwack!Whack! He beats your hands into the concrete. Thwack again! Your face hits the concrete as he starts to beat you in the head.
His weight lifts from your body. You spin around to face him. He takes the knife.
He guides you under some trees and rapes you there with the knife held to your side.
How would you deal with the pain from something like that? How would you deal with the violation , the humiliation, the anger?
Then months later in a shopping centre- "You know she's a slut". And later still "Slut" "There's slut" "Whore" etc., etc., etc.
So this is the " Blow upon a Bruise"(1) The pain that is inflicted before you are even healed from the first blow.
I cannot explain why people think that abusing a complete stranger is acceptable just because a rapist says so. I am not a slut and was never called one until after I was raped but this has been my experience since the rape and only 1 man so far has come to me and apologised for abusing me.
And how would you deal with this added pain? This inexplicable callous abuse not of your body this time but of your sense of self?
I remember I would come home from work and just sit in the bathtub with the shower water running on my head. The droplets falling on my head and shoulders, the sound of the water in my ears -blocking out everything else. I didn't have to think about anything. I just sat there for an hour and a half or two doing nothing believing that at least I had the sanctity of the privacy of my home.
I was not able to talk about the rape then and this is often the case with victims of sexual abuse. Due to self-doubts and guilt and fear they will not speak about the crimes committed against them(2).
But now I do talk about it and write poetry about the rape and the abuse which is one way I have found to deal with it.
In a Story of Survival by Cecily she also speaks of using water not only to cleanse her after being raped but rather to soothe her.
"I didn’t feel dirty or ashamed after I was raped. I was scared, freaked out, and then really, really angry. I remember at the time just wanting to scream and let out a kind of roar of rage. At the end of the night, after going back to where the rape had happened with the police, after medical examinations and after talking with the police for hours and hours, I finally came home and had a shower. But it wasn’t because I felt dirty or embarrassed or ashamed, it was because I was so tired and water can be so soothing. "(3)
In a story by Zoe http://www.survivingtothriving.org/shareyourstory
she talks of disassociation, derealization, suicidal depression, self-mutilation and panic attacks plus other clinical manifestations after the rape.
These are symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder which occurs to about one third of women post rape(3).
Research indicates that talking about rape soon after it has occurred reduces the risk of PTSD(4). Above all " present control over one's recovery process" was the most influential component in lessening the symptoms of PTSD(5).
Unfortunately alot of rape and sexual abuse victims also choose alcohol and drugs to numb the pain of the abuse.
(1)Peters J & Kaye L 2003 Chidhood sexual abuse: a review of its impact on older women entering institutional settings Clinical Gerontologist vol. 26 no.3/4 pp.41
(2)Michelle Cazzulino 'Victims find courage to speak of sex abuse' Daily Telegraph Thursday August 15th 2002
(3)Cecily 1998 A story of survival Dulwich Centre Journal 2&3 pp. 64-67 Dulwich Centre Publications(4)Ullman S, Filipas H, Townsend S & Starzynski L 2007 Psychosocial correlates of PTSD symptom severity in sexual assault survivors Journal of Traumatic Stress vol.20 no.5 pp.821
(5)ibid. p.827
(6)ibid. p.829
Sexual Assault Investigation Kit Examination
In Australia when a sexual assault is reported to the police the victim has the option of undergoing a sexual assualt investigation kit examination. This examination is done to collect any specimens which could be used in a court of law (forensic evidence).
The Crimes (forensic procedures) Act 2000 gives details of the legislation and how the procedures should be carried out. http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2000-61/current/pdf/2000-61.pdflation.act.gov.au/a/2000-61/current/pdf/2000-61.pdf
49 General rules for carrying out forensic procedures
A forensic procedure—
(a) must be carried out in circumstances providing reasonable
privacy to the relevant person; and
(b) except as permitted under another provision of this Act, must
not be carried out in the presence or view of anyone who is of
the opposite sex to the relevant person; and
(c) must not be carried out in the presence or view of a person
whose presence is not necessary for the forensic procedure or
required or permitted under another provision of this Act; and
(d) must not involve the removal of more clothing than is
necessary for carrying out the procedure; and
(e) must not involve more visual inspection than is necessary for
carrying out the procedure.
The Act refers mainly to offenders but part 2.8 section 79 and 80 refers to volunteers.Consent is required for the procedure to go ahead.
Below are pictures of the forms used during my examination.
The examination is alot like having a pap smear. As undignified and unpleasant. Yet if it manages to gain the evidence necessary it is worthwhile.
The Crimes (forensic procedures) Act 2000 gives details of the legislation and how the procedures should be carried out. http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2000-61/current/pdf/2000-61.pdflation.act.gov.au/a/2000-61/current/pdf/2000-61.pdf
49 General rules for carrying out forensic procedures
A forensic procedure—
(a) must be carried out in circumstances providing reasonable
privacy to the relevant person; and
(b) except as permitted under another provision of this Act, must
not be carried out in the presence or view of anyone who is of
the opposite sex to the relevant person; and
(c) must not be carried out in the presence or view of a person
whose presence is not necessary for the forensic procedure or
required or permitted under another provision of this Act; and
(d) must not involve the removal of more clothing than is
necessary for carrying out the procedure; and
(e) must not involve more visual inspection than is necessary for
carrying out the procedure.
The Act refers mainly to offenders but part 2.8 section 79 and 80 refers to volunteers.Consent is required for the procedure to go ahead.
Below are pictures of the forms used during my examination.
The examination is alot like having a pap smear. As undignified and unpleasant. Yet if it manages to gain the evidence necessary it is worthwhile.
Monday, July 6, 2009
What's in a Name?
"There is more force in names then most men dream of" James Russell Lowell(1)
Your personal name or christian name is bound to your identity and sense of self. Your name also carries with it complicated social implications as well(2).
When you are recognized and acknowledged by your name your human dignity and uniqueness are recognized(3). This recognition is a central part of your sense of self and the meaningfulness of your life(4).
However when there is conflict between people whether through war or prejudice or bullying the use of derogatory names for the 'other' is included as part of the initial stages of the conflict(5). The derogatory names that are used also carry with them social implications that are recognised by others in the community and they can be used to deprive the person of their humanity and individuality.
These derogatory names designate so-called negative characteristics of the person in order to emphasise difference from the 'in-group'. Difference is at the centre of bullying(6) and name calling can extend to the persons nationality, appearance, family and friends(7).
In the year 2000 6 young women, possibly more, were raped in western Sydney. These women were called "Aussie pigs" and "sluts"(8) while they were being raped. Why? Because by calling them by these derogatory names they could be thought of as objects or things and not as human beings. This "is based on the idea that it is acceptable to project whatever hatred you might be feeling on to the bodies of women"(9).
Others who were there but not involved in the rapes were encouraged to abuse the women as well in order to make them accomplices(10).
(1)Mullen B, Calogero R & Leader T 2007 A Social psychological study of ethnonyms: cognitive representation of the in-group and intergroup hostility Journal of Personality and Social Psychology vol.92 no.4 pp.612
(2)Thompson R 2006 Bilingual, bicultural and binominal identities:personal name investment and the imagination in the lives of Korean Americans Journal of Language, Identity and Education vol.5 no.3 pp.180
(3)Crisp J & Taylor C 2005 Potter & Perry's Fundamentals of Nursing 2nd ed. Elsevier Marrickville pp428
(4)Wong J 2002 What's in a name? An examination of social identities Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour vol.32 no,4 pp.453
(5)Hamarus P & Kaikkonen P 2008 School bullying as a creator of pupil peer pressure Educational Research vol. 50 no.4 pp.334
(6)ibid:pp.336
(7)ibid:pp.337
The article above on school bullying is a good article to read, for those interested, to understand the concepts and practices that create the cultures that enable bullying behaviour to develop and continue . It does not contain alot of information about dealing with the behaviours or the culture once it is formed but there is a list of references at the end of the article that you could find useful.
If you go into the following site and type the name of the article into the place to search you should be able to read the article. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/home~db=all
(8)Bone, Pamela 2002 'Rape:the debate we have to have' The Age Melbourne, Australia. Wednesday July 24th 2002 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/07/23/1027332376292.html
(9)ibid: This is a direct quote from the above article
(10)Donnelly, Marea 2001 'Our society is so easy on rape that it's a crime' The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia Tuesday June 19th 2001http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo@green.net.au/msg00528.html
Your personal name or christian name is bound to your identity and sense of self. Your name also carries with it complicated social implications as well(2).
When you are recognized and acknowledged by your name your human dignity and uniqueness are recognized(3). This recognition is a central part of your sense of self and the meaningfulness of your life(4).
However when there is conflict between people whether through war or prejudice or bullying the use of derogatory names for the 'other' is included as part of the initial stages of the conflict(5). The derogatory names that are used also carry with them social implications that are recognised by others in the community and they can be used to deprive the person of their humanity and individuality.
These derogatory names designate so-called negative characteristics of the person in order to emphasise difference from the 'in-group'. Difference is at the centre of bullying(6) and name calling can extend to the persons nationality, appearance, family and friends(7).
In the year 2000 6 young women, possibly more, were raped in western Sydney. These women were called "Aussie pigs" and "sluts"(8) while they were being raped. Why? Because by calling them by these derogatory names they could be thought of as objects or things and not as human beings. This "is based on the idea that it is acceptable to project whatever hatred you might be feeling on to the bodies of women"(9).
Others who were there but not involved in the rapes were encouraged to abuse the women as well in order to make them accomplices(10).
(1)Mullen B, Calogero R & Leader T 2007 A Social psychological study of ethnonyms: cognitive representation of the in-group and intergroup hostility Journal of Personality and Social Psychology vol.92 no.4 pp.612
(2)Thompson R 2006 Bilingual, bicultural and binominal identities:personal name investment and the imagination in the lives of Korean Americans Journal of Language, Identity and Education vol.5 no.3 pp.180
(3)Crisp J & Taylor C 2005 Potter & Perry's Fundamentals of Nursing 2nd ed. Elsevier Marrickville pp428
(4)Wong J 2002 What's in a name? An examination of social identities Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour vol.32 no,4 pp.453
(5)Hamarus P & Kaikkonen P 2008 School bullying as a creator of pupil peer pressure Educational Research vol. 50 no.4 pp.334
(6)ibid:pp.336
(7)ibid:pp.337
The article above on school bullying is a good article to read, for those interested, to understand the concepts and practices that create the cultures that enable bullying behaviour to develop and continue . It does not contain alot of information about dealing with the behaviours or the culture once it is formed but there is a list of references at the end of the article that you could find useful.
If you go into the following site and type the name of the article into the place to search you should be able to read the article. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/home~db=all
(8)Bone, Pamela 2002 'Rape:the debate we have to have' The Age Melbourne, Australia. Wednesday July 24th 2002 http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/07/23/1027332376292.html
(9)ibid: This is a direct quote from the above article
(10)Donnelly, Marea 2001 'Our society is so easy on rape that it's a crime' The Sydney Morning Herald, Australia Tuesday June 19th 2001http://www.mail-archive.com/recoznettwo@green.net.au/msg00528.html
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Statistics
There are no definitive statistics for sexual assault in Australia as most victims do not report the assault to the police nor do they access the services provided to assist them(1). The Australian Bureau of Statistic data for 2003 is
VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, By sex, Australia, 2003
VICTIMS
Female 14 892 women 148.8 per 100 000 population
Male 3 255 men 33.0 per 100 000 population
Persons 18 237 persons 91.7 per 100 000 population
(a)Includes victims for whom sex was not specified.
Source: ABS, Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2003
(cat. no. 4510.0), Table 3.(2)
If you press the URL below and then click on the .pdf symbol you should be able to access the ABS statistical overview on sexual assualt for 2004.
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4523.02004?OpenDocument
More recent statistics for Australia are divided by state and available athttp://www.abs.gov.au/
In the ten years from 1993 to 2003 the 'victimisation prevalence rate' increased by about a third to 91.7 persons per 100 000.
In the same period there has been a 50% increase in the recorded number of victims from 12 186 to 18 237.
The ABS states that these changes could be due to an increased recognition of assault as a crime, the change in the desire to report sexual assault, changes in recording practices or any of these and not necessarily changes in numbers of incidents(3).
Epidemiological research data from overseas relating to child sexual abuse shows that anywhere from 25% - 30% or even as high as 42% of women under the age of 18 have been sexually abused, 9% repeatedly(4).
(1) Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004 Sexual Assault in Australia: a Statistical Overview 4523.0 ABS Canberra 7th September 2004 pp.14
(2)ibid.pp19
(3)ibid.pp23
(4)Peters,J & Kaye,L 2003 Childhood sexual abuse:a review of its impact on older women entering institutional settings Clinical Gerontologist vol.26 (3/4) pp.29
VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ASSAULT, By sex, Australia, 2003
VICTIMS
Female 14 892 women 148.8 per 100 000 population
Male 3 255 men 33.0 per 100 000 population
Persons 18 237 persons 91.7 per 100 000 population
(a)Includes victims for whom sex was not specified.
Source: ABS, Recorded Crime - Victims, Australia, 2003
(cat. no. 4510.0), Table 3.(2)
If you press the URL below and then click on the .pdf symbol you should be able to access the ABS statistical overview on sexual assualt for 2004.
http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/DetailsPage/4523.02004?OpenDocument
More recent statistics for Australia are divided by state and available athttp://www.abs.gov.au/
In the ten years from 1993 to 2003 the 'victimisation prevalence rate' increased by about a third to 91.7 persons per 100 000.
In the same period there has been a 50% increase in the recorded number of victims from 12 186 to 18 237.
The ABS states that these changes could be due to an increased recognition of assault as a crime, the change in the desire to report sexual assault, changes in recording practices or any of these and not necessarily changes in numbers of incidents(3).
Epidemiological research data from overseas relating to child sexual abuse shows that anywhere from 25% - 30% or even as high as 42% of women under the age of 18 have been sexually abused, 9% repeatedly(4).
(1) Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004 Sexual Assault in Australia: a Statistical Overview 4523.0 ABS Canberra 7th September 2004 pp.14
(2)ibid.pp19
(3)ibid.pp23
(4)Peters,J & Kaye,L 2003 Childhood sexual abuse:a review of its impact on older women entering institutional settings Clinical Gerontologist vol.26 (3/4) pp.29
Thursday, June 25, 2009
What is Sexual Assault?
Sexual assault/ noun 1) sexual activity inflicted on a person without their consent
2) (in some jurisdictions) a statutory crime replacing rape, divided into categories according to the degree of violence accompanying the sexual intercourse.
Macquarie Australian Encyclopedic Dictionary 2006 The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd
Australian Crimes Act 1900 part 3 section 50 http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1900-40/current/pdf/1900-40.pdf
Perhaps it is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused
Freda Adler Sisters in Crime 1975
The Beacon Book of Quotations by Women compiled by Rosalie Maggio
Beacon Press Boston 1996
Experience-based definition
Sexual assault is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature directed
towards a person:
-which makes that person feel uncomfortable, distressed, frightened
or threatened, or which results in harm or injury to that person;
-to which that person has not freely agreed or given consent, or to
which that person is not capable of giving consent;
-in which another person uses physical, emotional, psychological or
verbal force or (other) coercive behaviour against that person.
Sexual assault may be located on a continuum of behaviours from
sexual harassment to life-threatening rape. These behaviours may
include lewdness, stalking, indecent assault, date rape, drug-assisted
sexual assault, child sexual abuse, incest, exposure of a person to
pornography, use of a person in pornography, and threats or attempts
to sexually assault.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004 Sexual Assault in Australia: A Statistical Overview. 4523.0 ABS. Canberra 7th September 2004 pp.8
2) (in some jurisdictions) a statutory crime replacing rape, divided into categories according to the degree of violence accompanying the sexual intercourse.
Macquarie Australian Encyclopedic Dictionary 2006 The Macquarie Library Pty Ltd
Australian Crimes Act 1900 part 3 section 50 http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1900-40/current/pdf/1900-40.pdf
Perhaps it is the only crime in which the victim becomes the accused
Freda Adler Sisters in Crime 1975
The Beacon Book of Quotations by Women compiled by Rosalie Maggio
Beacon Press Boston 1996
Experience-based definition
Sexual assault is unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature directed
towards a person:
-which makes that person feel uncomfortable, distressed, frightened
or threatened, or which results in harm or injury to that person;
-to which that person has not freely agreed or given consent, or to
which that person is not capable of giving consent;
-in which another person uses physical, emotional, psychological or
verbal force or (other) coercive behaviour against that person.
Sexual assault may be located on a continuum of behaviours from
sexual harassment to life-threatening rape. These behaviours may
include lewdness, stalking, indecent assault, date rape, drug-assisted
sexual assault, child sexual abuse, incest, exposure of a person to
pornography, use of a person in pornography, and threats or attempts
to sexually assault.
Australian Bureau of Statistics 2004 Sexual Assault in Australia: A Statistical Overview. 4523.0 ABS. Canberra 7th September 2004 pp.8
Theft of Privacy as Sexual Abuse
Since writing the April post I have discovered that stealing the privacy of the victim is an extension of sexual abuse.
Children who have been sexually abused state that the pedophile would watch them in the bathroom and while they were sleeping, constantly violating their privacy.(1)
Stalkers steal the private information of the person they are stalking in order to monitor them and initiate feelings of fear.(2)
The Australian Law Reform Commission states that stealing someones personal information could be done simply 'to distress or intimidate the person'.(3)
Apart from these reasons there is also another reason.
In an article from the Daily Telegraph (Sydney) by Cindy Wockner "Accused 'taped sex assault victim'" Friday July 5th 2002 (4) an individual, (M1), who was charged with being involved in the rape of a girl in Sydney in 2000 states that video tapes of the girl have been made. He states that these tapes show that the rape is 'bullshit' and that the girl is lying.
In other words if you can make images of a rape victim that show her to be complicit or promiscuous then rape and sexual abuse become acceptable.
For this arguement he is relying on an age old prejudice that cuts through societies, culture's and classes, the prejudice that women are morally deficient. That a woman's dress or behaviour must have somehow contributed to the rape and because she is morally deficient she will lie about it.
When a woman pursue's a rape charge she "will face challenges to her own morality. What sort of clothes did she wear? Where was she? Why was she there? Is she sexually active? Did she know her attacker? Had she or does she ever, drink?"(5)
Time and again this prejudice is reinforced through our culture and our language despite our awareness of the impact and extent of sexual abuse.
"What is now called the nature of women is an eminently artificial thing- the result of forced repression in some directions, unnatural stimulation in others"
John Stuart Mill The Subjection of Women ch. 1 (1869)(6)
(1)Herman,J & Hirschman, L 1981 Father Daughter Incest Cambridge M A Harvard University Press cited in Peters, J & Kaye, L 2003 Childhood sexual abuse: a review of its impact on older women entering institutional settings Clinical Gerontologist vol.26 (3/4) pp.29-46
(2) Reid Meloy, J 2007 Editorial: stalking the state of the science Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health vol. 17 pp.1-7
(3)Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 Review of Australian Privacy Law
(4)This article is located in the archives of http://www.news.com.au/. It can also be found on the NewsBank or Factiva database
(5) Marea Donnelly 2001 'Our society is so easy on rape that it's a crime' Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday june 19th 2001
(6) Shapiro, F (ed) 2006 The Yale Book of Quotations Yale University Press New Haven
Children who have been sexually abused state that the pedophile would watch them in the bathroom and while they were sleeping, constantly violating their privacy.(1)
Stalkers steal the private information of the person they are stalking in order to monitor them and initiate feelings of fear.(2)
The Australian Law Reform Commission states that stealing someones personal information could be done simply 'to distress or intimidate the person'.(3)
Apart from these reasons there is also another reason.
In an article from the Daily Telegraph (Sydney) by Cindy Wockner "Accused 'taped sex assault victim'" Friday July 5th 2002 (4) an individual, (M1), who was charged with being involved in the rape of a girl in Sydney in 2000 states that video tapes of the girl have been made. He states that these tapes show that the rape is 'bullshit' and that the girl is lying.
In other words if you can make images of a rape victim that show her to be complicit or promiscuous then rape and sexual abuse become acceptable.
For this arguement he is relying on an age old prejudice that cuts through societies, culture's and classes, the prejudice that women are morally deficient. That a woman's dress or behaviour must have somehow contributed to the rape and because she is morally deficient she will lie about it.
When a woman pursue's a rape charge she "will face challenges to her own morality. What sort of clothes did she wear? Where was she? Why was she there? Is she sexually active? Did she know her attacker? Had she or does she ever, drink?"(5)
Time and again this prejudice is reinforced through our culture and our language despite our awareness of the impact and extent of sexual abuse.
"What is now called the nature of women is an eminently artificial thing- the result of forced repression in some directions, unnatural stimulation in others"
John Stuart Mill The Subjection of Women ch. 1 (1869)(6)
(1)Herman,J & Hirschman, L 1981 Father Daughter Incest Cambridge M A Harvard University Press cited in Peters, J & Kaye, L 2003 Childhood sexual abuse: a review of its impact on older women entering institutional settings Clinical Gerontologist vol.26 (3/4) pp.29-46
(2) Reid Meloy, J 2007 Editorial: stalking the state of the science Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health vol. 17 pp.1-7
(3)Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 Review of Australian Privacy Law
(4)This article is located in the archives of http://www.news.com.au/. It can also be found on the NewsBank or Factiva database
(5) Marea Donnelly 2001 'Our society is so easy on rape that it's a crime' Sydney Morning Herald Tuesday june 19th 2001
(6) Shapiro, F (ed) 2006 The Yale Book of Quotations Yale University Press New Haven
Monday, April 27, 2009
Theft of Privacy
I have started this blog to defend my privacy and that of my family. Also I wish to use it to increase awareness about the effect that sexual abuse has on women concerned.
Although it has been 10 years now since I was raped, last year my home was repeatedly broken into and my personal information and intellectual property were stolen. I cannot imagine why.
The Human Rights Act (2004) provides that all individuals have the right not to have their privacy, family, home or correspondence interfered with unlawfully or arbitrarily or to have their reputation unlawfully attacked.
In 1980 the Australian Government ratified The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 17 states No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interferences with (their) privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on (their) honour and reputation.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission defines the right of privacy as the right
not to be turned into an object or thing
and the right not to be deprived of the capacity to form and develop relationships
(Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 1.50)
This is a right that everyone would take for granted
but should you?
The Australian Law Reform Commission estimated that there are at least 100 websites containing images of people caught showering or undressing (Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 p.376).
That's alot of websites. All containing images of people who have had their privacy invaded and no doubt most of these people are totally unaware that they are even on these websites.
"The small size of cameras and the advent of mobile telephone cameras made it easier to take photographs of others without their knowledge or consent" (Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 8.20).
Spy cameras and pinhole cameras have been around for many years but they are even more compact nowadays. It is quite possible to hide one in someones home because most people would not expect cameras to be hidden in their homes(Stalking goes high tech 2009 The Futurist May-June p.14) and yet there are those 100 websites containing precisely such images.
As I mentioned above my private information has been stolen. How much of it has been stolen and how it is being used I do not know. The only information about myself that I have ever made available to the public is the Sydney Morning Herald article "The Day I was Raped" and this blog.
The reference for these quotes is
Australian Government
Australian Law Reform Commission
Review of Australian Privacy Law
Discussion Paper 72
September 2007
Although it has been 10 years now since I was raped, last year my home was repeatedly broken into and my personal information and intellectual property were stolen. I cannot imagine why.
The Human Rights Act (2004) provides that all individuals have the right not to have their privacy, family, home or correspondence interfered with unlawfully or arbitrarily or to have their reputation unlawfully attacked.
In 1980 the Australian Government ratified The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Article 17 states No one shall be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interferences with (their) privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to unlawful attacks on (their) honour and reputation.
The Victorian Law Reform Commission defines the right of privacy as the right
not to be turned into an object or thing
and the right not to be deprived of the capacity to form and develop relationships
(Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 1.50)
This is a right that everyone would take for granted
but should you?
The Australian Law Reform Commission estimated that there are at least 100 websites containing images of people caught showering or undressing (Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 p.376).
That's alot of websites. All containing images of people who have had their privacy invaded and no doubt most of these people are totally unaware that they are even on these websites.
"The small size of cameras and the advent of mobile telephone cameras made it easier to take photographs of others without their knowledge or consent" (Australian Law Reform Commission 2007 8.20).
Spy cameras and pinhole cameras have been around for many years but they are even more compact nowadays. It is quite possible to hide one in someones home because most people would not expect cameras to be hidden in their homes(Stalking goes high tech 2009 The Futurist May-June p.14) and yet there are those 100 websites containing precisely such images.
As I mentioned above my private information has been stolen. How much of it has been stolen and how it is being used I do not know. The only information about myself that I have ever made available to the public is the Sydney Morning Herald article "The Day I was Raped" and this blog.
The reference for these quotes is
Australian Government
Australian Law Reform Commission
Review of Australian Privacy Law
Discussion Paper 72
September 2007
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