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Tips for "preventing" sexual violence have historically focused on the behaviors of women.
Women have been warned of the dangers of overalls, ponytails, cell phones, alleyways,
and nighttime. They have been told to stay indoors, never drink alcohol, avoid short
skirts, and to never stay home alone. They have been given advice that ranges from the
practical, "basic-common-sense" variety, such as lock your doors at night, and buy a
blow-up doll to take on long trips.
Certainly these messages are offered in the spirit of helping women, but they fail in
two key areas:
- They focus on "preventing" assaults by strangers when, in fact, four out of five
assaults are committed by someone the person knows.
- individuals are not raped, battered, or stalked because of anything they do,
but because of something the perpetrator chooses to do.
Clearly, prevention messages must be focused on potential perpetrators, not on potential
victims.
The Advocates Program calls for the eradication of all forms of sexual violence by
challenging the cultural values that perpetuate it and holding accountable the individuals
that perpetrate it. Our messages focus on working with men to challenge their peers and
to be role models for others. We work to raise awareness about the devaluation of women
through language, media, and policy. And, we work to ensure that perpetrators are held
accountable both by the legal systems and by their peers.
The Advocates Program's prevention messages target the culture that supports violence and
condones sexual terrorism, not the victims of the violence.
For more information, call 229-5122.
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