Getting the dialogue going about sexual assault
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The investigation and subsequent charges against Ghomeshi have opened up a national dialogue on sexual assault.
Many women, who for years remained silent about being assaulted, have started to come forward, and the public and the media are listening and learning.
Everywhere you look, people are talking about it. Sexual assault. It’s taken over social media including Twitter and Facebook. Even YouTube videos on the topic are popping up.
The increased conversation is certainly apparent at the Sexual Assault Centre in Hamilton.
Officials here have been watching the Ghomeshi scandal as it unfolds and say they were expecting charges to be laid in this case.
But they are surprised by how far the pendulum has swung in the conversation and the role social media has played.
Lenore Lukasik-Foss has been working with survivors of sexual assault for 25 years. She says she has never seen anything like the response to the Ghomeshi case: “I would say generally in this instance it’s been more of a help then a hinderance with some of the really important hastags like, #beenraped, #neverreported. So I think this has been unique in the way social media has carried this story to a different level. And also when we go out into the community so many more people are wanting to talk about this. We are hearing from our counsellors that some people within their sessions, survivors are talking about this and that’s a bit unusual for some of these issues to come up within counselling and also on our support line we are hearing from folks answering calls that this is something that’s coming up.”
And while on the whole Lukasik-Foss says it is a good thing, all this media attention can also trigger terrible memories in survivors. Some of whom have chosen not to make their complaints known.
