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In recent weeks, Quebec has experienced a resurgence of denunciations from women victims of sexual violence speaking out on social networks and in the media.
Sexual violence against women spares no community, no society. However, on social networks as in traditional media, they seem to have only one face — something that racialized experts and survivors denounce.
“Neglected denunciation”
When Sandra Boursiquot, a 46-year-old black woman, reported her attacker Luis Miranda a few years ago, her action led to a highly publicized case. Her experience, which she tried in vain to denounce in 2009, was only publicly reported in 2017. Today, she mentions biased media coverage, which contributed to discrediting her and to protecting the aggressor, who was then in a position of power. “We quoted the alleged accused without trying to get my version of the facts,” she tells us in a Montreal café.
Ms. Boursiquot says that she also had a lot of difficulty getting herself heard by the authorities.
“The police refused to take my complaint,” she recalls. She was forced to turn to other resources for help, before an investigator looked into her case.Casey Shakes, a Montreal filmmaker, is working on an Afro-futurist project based on her experience. In 2017, she decided to speak out to denounce her attacker. A difficult speech for this young black woman, who has little confidence in law enforcement. “Part of the trauma I have experienced comes from my reluctance to report my attacker to the police,” says Casey.
When she first went to the police station, an officer allegedly told her that there was nothing they could do because there was no physical evidence. He gave her the card of an organization, to which she telephoned. The counsellor she spoke to told her that the authorities should have opened a case. After several months of procedures and terror, she finally obtained a restraining order, a protection that she said she fought hard for. “My attacker reoffended and I had to call the police. At that point, the agents said to me, “We can tell him to stop.” I said, “No, I want to file a complaint, I have had enough.”
#Onvouscroit: double standards
The #MeToo movement was founded in 2006 by Tarana Burke, an African American activist. Highlighting her own experience, she wanted all victims of sexual violence to be heard. Things, however, have not progressed sufficiently 14 years later. “We still see that the story of people who do not belong to the dominant group, i.e. people who experience systemic forms of marginalization, is not taken into account and is not represented when talking about the fight against sexual violence,” laments Marlihan Lopez, coordinator of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute at Concordia University.
Ms. Lopez believes that the media and institutions can contribute to the problem. “They play a role in the production of myths and prejudices, and many communities do not fit into these images of victims of sexual violence,” she explains. According to her, this means that people from these communities are less cruel and less supported.
“In Quebec, in the media, we put a lot of emphasis on sexual violence when it comes to people who come from the cultural sector, who are highly visible. It's a problem,” she laments. Kharoll-Ann Souffrant, a social worker who is pursuing a doctorate in social work at the University of Ottawa, said similar things. Her thesis focuses on sexual violence suffered by black women in Quebec as well as on the #MeToo, #MoiAussi and #AggressionNonDénoncée movements. “Since 2017, we have observed the same issue in terms of representation. In the United States, as here, there is an erasure of black and marginalized communities.”
According to the latter, the contribution of the Black Lives Matter movement ensures that this issue is addressed more in 2020. According to Ms. Souffrant, reporting is not an option for many women, especially those who have difficult relationships with the police. According to her, this reality is due to police brutality and racial profiling experienced by black and racialized people. “This isolates victims, who cannot speak easily,” regrets the doctoral candidate at the University of Ottawa.
“When it comes to sexual violence, it is difficult to be believed, and it is even more difficult in the case of a black, racialized or indigenous person,” Ms. Souffrant continues. One of the causes of this phenomenon could be a problem of representation, since these women do not always correspond to the image that some people have of a victim.
“There's a lot of mistrust and judgment, and part of that comes from prejudices about these people. Stereotypes, whether internalized subconsciously or not, are projected onto these marginalized women who speak out,” she explains. According to Ms. Souffrant, the homogeneity that we observe in the media and within the various bodies could have something to do with it. “The traditional media are run by white people. This means that there are blind spots in their considerations.
Some things are obvious to us because we experience them, but they do not correspond to their reality. The lack of diversity in front of and behind the camera can explain these dynamics.”
She also notes that black, indigenous or marginalized women are also not represented in public policies in Canada and Quebec and that they are forgotten in government strategies.
The others forgotten about #MeToo
As experts point out, many women remain invisible when it comes to sexual violence, including sex workers, people from LGBTQ+ communities, and those with disabilities. “Different systems of oppression — such as sexism, racism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia — really create barriers,” Ms. Souffrant summarizes. It's really hard for these people to report and get help.” These barriers are also barriers in terms of services offered to victims.
Obtaining appropriate resources and services
Tarah Paul is a project manager at the West Island Center for Assistance and Combating Sexual Assaults (CALACS), an organization that offers free and confidential help services to girls and women victims of sexual assault. She is currently working on a project called Adapting Our Practices to the Diversity of Survivors, which aims to create a dialogue on how community organizations can become more accessible, more inclusive, by creating a safe environment for all women, whether Black, Indigenous, Indigenous, racialized, racialized, disabled, LGBTQ+, or with precarious migration status.
“Help resources aren't always accessible or welcoming, and don't necessarily meet their needs,” she notes. It's time for all community organizations to have a discussion by asking themselves a question: “Is there a way to improve services to make them safer and more inclusive?” You have to analyze the services you offer and ask yourself if they are adequate. We also need to ask ourselves questions about intervention practices, and even more,” she underlines. Ms. Paul believed that funding should be allocated to specialized agencies that served marginalized communities so that they could provide assistance to victims of sexual violence.
According to Marlihan Lopez, several initiatives suffer from a lack of funding.
In particular, the Coalition for Defunding the Police proposes that the funds paid to the SPVM be redirected to organizations that help victims. “We have neighborhoods like Montréal-Nord where there is an increased police presence, but no violence services,” she says. Ms. Lopez also recalls that sex education is also important. “If we do not have an education that allows us to approach sexual violence in an inclusive way, it is problematic,” she believes. We need to create awareness programs that are inclusive and that represent the realities of the different communities that face sexual violence.”
Kharoll-Ann Souffrant agrees with this and pushes the reflection further.
“Elementary and secondary schools, unlike higher education institutions, have no protocols to prevent and counter sexual violence against children, she notes. When there is no protocol, there is a risk that victims will not be taken seriously, that their problem will not be treated, or that the way they are helped will re-victimize them. Employees need to be trained in this area,” says Ms. Souffrant.
“You have to listen to the victim and support them, listen to their needs,” explains Ms. Souffrant. “To do this, you can ask them: “What can I do for you? How can I go with you?” ” concludes the social worker.
To go further
A few readings:
- Corps accord, a guide to positive sexuality, La CORPS feminist, les Éditions Remue Ménage
- Living flays, under the supervision of Marine Fidèle, Méemoir d'enrier
- Not That Bad, Dispatches from Rape Culture, Roxane Gay, Haper Perennial
- The Unapologetic Guide to Black Mental Health, Rheeda Walker, New Harbinger Publications
- Decolonizing Trauma Work: Indigenous Stories and Strategies, Renee Linklater, Fernwood Publishing
- The black box, Ito Shiori, Éditions Picquier
Resources:
- The doctoral student in psychology Ariel Garand created A list Black psychotherapists from Quebec (under construction).
- The CALACS are non-profit organizations that offer free services to victims of sexual violence.
- The CPIVAS Is a community organization that helps victims of sexual assault