Tag Archives: Rape

Slutwalk South Africa

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SlutWalk Hits South Africa, Where Rape Is National Crisis

Slutwalk

By SCHALK VAN ZUYDAM   08/20/11 09:17 AM ET   AP

CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Women draped sexy lingerie over their street clothes as they marched through Cape Town on Saturday, bringing an international campaign against the notion that a woman’s appearance can excuse attacks to a country where rape is seen as a national crisis.

Some 2,000 protesters walked a route where fans partied during last year’s football World Cup. Men joined in, some of them wearing miniskirts in solidarity. Some protesters pushed their children in strollers and carried signs declaring, “Rapists rape people, not outfits,” and “Weak men rape.”

“SlutWalks” originated in Toronto, Canada, where they were sparked by a police officer’s remark that women could avoid being raped by not dressing like “sluts.”

“It’s very important that women should understand that their dignity should not be taken away from them,” said Tayla Orgill, who was among the Cape Town walkers.

According to the most recent police statistics, more than 55,000 cases of rape and indecent assault were reported in South Africa from 2009 to 2010. The number of sexual offenses against women climbed nearly 20 percent from the previous year, according to police.

fr/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/20/slutwalk-comes-to-safrica_n_932118.html

 

Weekend “SlutWalk” in San Francisco

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SlutWalk San Francisco Is Coming This Weekend (PHOTOS)
Slutwalk

First Posted: 8/2/11 09:35 PM ET Updated: 8/3/11 11:10 AM ET

During a safety forum at Osgood Hall Law School in Toronto in January, police constable Michael Sanguinetti told a room filled with women that to avoid being sexually assaulted, they should “avoid dressing like sluts,” The Huffington Post reported in April.

Outraged ensued. Rotten tomatoes were thrown, tar was warmed and feathers were readied. No, not really. But according to SlutWalk organizers, they should have been.

Though Sanguinetti issued a written apology, a small group of Canadian women organized a march to bring awareness to social attitudes about sexual assault. They dressed in their finest lingerie, wrote “slut” on their foreheads, and took to the streets with signs of protest, hoping a few dozen supporters would show up. Instead, 3,000 people crowded the streets. SlutWalk was born.

And this Saturday, it’s coming to Dolores Park.

SlutWalk San Francisco boasts a group of 18 organizers and contributors that has been hosting meet-and-greets, happy hours, and sign-making parties in anticipation of the event.

“We’re so excited for Saturday,” organizer Lauren Chief Elk told The Huffington Post. “We were so moved by the outrage of the women in Toronto. Especially since most of us have experienced sexual assault in one way or another. Rape happens all over the world, but here in the United States, we have a strong tendency to blame the victim.”

to read more, go to: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/02/slutwalk-san-francisco_n_916721.html?ir=Impact