Donate $5 or more to Baltimore Slutwalk for our 2013 Walk of No Shame event http://ow.ly/dz7Xj, and you will be entered to win a $50 gift card to Chas Spa and Salon in Baltimore http://www.chasspasalon.com/!

thecsph:

ninja-suffragette:

Scotland really seems to be getting good at the whole ‘blame the perpetrator not the victim’ part of campaigning against rape (I’m reminded of this campaign which takes a similar tact). Which is far more than I can say for the English police force.

From the campaign website:

What can you do to help stop rape?

 1. Take responsibility … »

Find out about the law regarding rape and understand that no matter what the circumstances are, sex without consent is rape.

If there is any doubt about whether the person you’re with is consenting, don’t have sex.

2. Respect your sexual partner … »

Listen to the other person and treat them with respect – effective communication is key to healthy sexual relationships. It’s important to talk to your partner and listen to their wishes. 
Any kind of sexual act must be consensual – both partners should agree to it and be happy with it. 

3. Question your own attitudes … »

Consider the messages you hear about how men should act and think about your own actions, attitudes and behaviours. 
Understand that behaviour, such as pub chat about a woman ‘asking for it’ because of what she is wearing, can perpetuate harmful attitudes towards sexism and sexual violence. 

Work towards positively changing attitudes. Choose what kind of guy you want to be. 

4. Stand up for your beliefs … »

It’s easy to look the other way or keep quiet about your opinions. Don’t. Challenge attitudes that disturb you. For example, if a friend makes a joke about rape, tell them it’s not funny. More often than not you’ll find others share your opinion. 

5. Be proactive … »

If you’re with friends and become aware of a situation developing, don’t stay silent. For example where one or both parties are too drunk to have consensual sex, go and have a quiet word with your friend. It might feel awkward and difficult to intervene, but you are looking out for them in what could potentially be a risky situation. 
Also, if you see a similar situation arising outwith your group of friends, tell someone in authority, for example a bartender or door steward. 

6. Be supportive … »

If you know or suspect someone close to you has been abused or sexually assaulted, gently ask if you can help, offer them your support and encourage them to contact the police. There are also a range of support organisations which can help. 

7. Speak up … »

If you know someone is abusing their partner, don’t ignore it. If you feel able to do so, talk to them and urge them to seek help. There are many support organisations that can offer advice. 
You can report abuse by contacting your local police office or anonymously via Crimestoppers. In an emergency always dial 999. 

8. Get involved … »

Support the campaign.
Display ‘we can stop it’ posters in your college, university or workplace – contact us for materials

info@wecanstopit.co.uk(This address is not for crime reporting - in an emergency always dial 999)

Tell us why you support the campaign – we are always looking for fresh testimonials 

info@wecanstopit.co.uk(This address is not for crime reporting - in an emergency always dial 999) Rape is a difficult subject to talk about but it’s only through raising awareness that attitudes will change. 

Sex without consent is rape. We can stop it.

Look at that. Not a ‘don’t drink too much’ or ‘be careful when you’re walking alone’ in sight.

More campaigns like this please.

[Via The F-Word]

An anti-rape campaign that doesn’t focus on victim blaming. A+, Scotland.

projectunbreakable:

resonantbodies:

    I came across “Project Unbreakable” when it started in October 2011. it is a simple and powerful project, where survivors of sexual assault hold a poster with a quote from their attacker (and/or reactions from family/friends/judicial system). *Trigger warning for sexual assault, child abuse, secondary trauma*

The founder of the project, Grace Brown, had to hire interns to handle the volume of survivors coming forward with stories across the United States. The fact that “Project Unbreakable” has taken off is both a testament to the strength of survivors and evidence of the pervasiveness of sexual violence.

We need to challenge how shockingly commonplace sexual domination is in our culture.

We need to stop excusing domination, aggression, and sexual entitlement as just part of “boys being boys”.

We need to celebrate boys and men who respect women and go against the grain of “traditional” masculinity.

We need to hear these survivor stories and make them louder and more powerful than the victim-blaming narratives, which persistently shame victims into isolated silence and encourage perpetrators to carry on without consequence.

Thank you so much to whoever created this post. I really appreciate your support of the project.

Donate $5 or more to Baltimore Slutwalk for our 2013 Walk of No Shame event http://ow.ly/dz7Xj, and you will be entered to win a $50 gift card to Chas Spa and Salon in Baltimore http://www.chasspasalon.com/!

slutmeansspeakup:

‘Every rape survivor needs compassion, not detention’ - young girl holding a sign at SlutWalk London 2012.

femalestruggle:

radicalfeministquotes:

nominalscale:

This happened in Seattle during a Mardi Gras celebration. A group of men grabbed this woman, ripped off her clothing, groped, and sexually assaulted her. They all did this with smiles on their faces. How traumatizing it must have been and still is for this woman. Knowing that she cannot escape while these strangers violated her in public view. I can’t get this image out of my mind. There is so much sadness flowing over me that the only thing I can do is blog about it. I cannot come up with the words to express my sadness. I just imagine this happening to me and I become traumatized. How could this happen? People cannot say that it was due to Mardi Gras and “maybe” she showed her breasts, and she was asking for it; we don’t blame the victim, ever. I don’t know what happened to her, but if this happened to me I would probably kill myself, because I would not be able to deal with the trauma and sadness of probably never being able to be intimate with anyone after the fact. Shit like this happens everyday. Why?

Well, it just warms the heart to see that men can put aside race and class divides to bond over misogyny and sexual entitlement.

This is horrific to see but it needs to be shared. This is rape culture.