“Don’t Be That Guy” campaign targets perpetrators of sexual assault

A bold poster campaign, which targets the perpetrators of sexual assault instead of victims, has been re-launched in the city of Edmonton, after a successful run in 2010 which turned global.  The campaign was initiated by a group called Sexual Assault Voices of Edmonton, or SAVE, which includes partners as diverse as the local police department, Red Cross Canada, and the University of Alberta Women’s Studies department.

The poster’s core message is that “…sexual contact without ongoing and active consent is sexual assault,” explains Lise Gotell, chairwoman of Women’s Studies at the University of Alberta. This message comes across loud and clear through simple wording and striking images.

The first campaign focused on alcohol-related sexual assaults. In the relaunch SAVE decided to include posters on more diverse types of sexual assault. For example, one of the posters features two men.  “We wanted to expand this beyond the heterosexual audience. Sexual assault is also a problem in terms of same-sex sexual assault,” Gotell said.

You would think that the strategy of establishing a cultural norm of consent and reinforcing that anything else is assault would be more widely used. But unfortunately, most sexual assault prevention campaigns teach potential victims to restrict their behavior to avoid rape. The SAVE website notes, unsurprisingly, that research shows this strategy to be ineffective, and contributes to self-blame in survivors. Gotell mentions that “Our campaign places responsibility where it belongs — on the perpetrators.” How refreshing.

The past week at Amherst College has been like nothing the college has ever experienced. Survivor after survivor have come forward with their own stories, following the publication of a former student’s narrative about her experience with sexual assault at Amherst. The president, the deans, the counseling center, the Peer Advocates, Sexual Health Educators, student groups, alumni, even national news sources -all have something to contribute to the conversation around sexual respect and misconduct at Amherst College. Each group is shocked and angered, saddened and overwhelmed. And rightly so, there is no formulaic way to respond to reports of the most traumatic violations that many can imagine. Yet, in all of this dialogue, a certain reality seems to have been neglected. This is a liberal arts college. Not a “too liberal for assault” college. Sexual disrespect can happen anywhere, at any time, by anyone. We in the Amherst bubble are not immune to the reality that “one in three women around the world will be raped, beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime” (2003 UNIFEM report) and “one in thirty three American men will experience an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime” (RAINN). Even college educated people, even people in relationships, even people in the safety of their own dorm rooms can experience the horror that is often reserved for those in the margins. Students spend countless hours a week, engaging with critical theory and literature, meant to awaken them to social injustices and prepare them for “lives of consequence” after their four years spent at the College on the Hill. One would hope, however, that students use this critical engagement to live consequentially while at Amherst, too.

Growing Awareness on the Amherst Campus

Amherst College is far from perfect in the way it handles cases of sexual assault and harassment on campus. Disciplinary procedures can seem long and complicated, and students often feel put in awkward positions when confronting assailants and administration alike. However, it seems we may be reaching turning point in the way these cases are approached. Recently, several professors in  the Women’s and Gender Studies department met with the members of Women of Amherst to discuss the prevalence of sexual assault on campus. In a respectful, yet candid conversation, students and faculty shared opinions, experiences, and hopes for the future. Plans for more dialogue were outlined, and it seemed as though everyone present left with a greater sense of empowerment. As a female Amherst College student, I cannot imagine a more appropriate way to jump-start Sexual Assault Awareness Week.

Revival of the Amherst Men’s Project

Kudos to the socially conscious men on the Amherst College campus. After a few quiet years the group, The Amherst Men’s Project, is being revived. Aimed at involving men in the prevention of gender-based violence, often perceived as a “women’s issue,” The Amherst Men’s Project aims to increase awareness of the impact of sexual assault on men’s lives. Members recognize the heavy burden of sexual assault that victims, usually female, often carry alone. Supporting the survivors in their lives -their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, girlfriends, and friends -the group invites men to speak out and make change.

Writes  the Amherst Men’s Project:

“Not all men are rapists. But 98% of rapes occur by men. How do you wanted to be represented?”