National Day of Action Against Rape – today (16 Nov)

Written By: - Date published: 8:25 am, November 16th, 2013 - 13 comments
Categories: crime, democratic participation, feminism, police, sexism, vision - Tags:

A reminder of the actions in various locations around NZ today for the Day of Action against rape culture.

rape-culture-is fight back

A reminder of the background to the Day of Action – parts of my earlier post:

Press release:

Stop Rape Now: National day of action against rape culture

[…]

The Roastbusters fiasco is another explicit reminder that there are huge problems with the way our society addresses sexual violence. We demand an end to rape and all forms of sexual violence. We demand that survivors of rape and sexual violence are supported, and that those responsible for raping and sexually violating people stop their actions. We demand that this extend to actions beyond examining the police force.

On Saturday 16th of November there will be a national day of action, calling for an end to Rape Culture and to stop groups like Roastbusters from ‘getting away with it’.

Wellington
The Bucket Fountain, Cuba Mall, 2.00pm, November 16th
BYO Placards, noise makers
[Facebook event: http://tinyurl.com/mydnntl]

Auckland (*update below)
Queen Street, 12:30pm, November 16th
[Facebook event: http://tinyurl.com/l4843bh]

Christchurch
Bridge of Remembrance, 12pm, November 16th
[Facebook event: http://tinyurl.com/mydnntl]

ENDS

*Auckland – further information from Bust Rape Culture Now.

On Saturday November 16th at 2pm we will be marching from Britomart to Myers Park as part of the National Day of Action Against Rape Culture. We are calling on our communities and government to start taking rape seriously and lead initiatives that support our survivors and initiate a culture shift.

*We want rape crisis centres adequately and sustainably funded.
*We want educational programmes that focus on prevention and awareness.
*We want the police to put measures in place to allow for better support of survivors.
* We want the Law Commission report into pre-trial and trial processes for sexual assault victims to be reinstated immediately.
* We want implementation of recommendations by TOAH-NNest and Wellington Rape Crisis

Palmerston North Demo, the Square. (2pm)

Hamilton 7.30pm Garden Place.  The Facebook page is here.

Dunedin Museum lawn – 11am-1pm (from Maia’s link posted on The Hand Mirror)

Maia also says:

These events have generally been organised by individuals who know each other and want to do something using social media to reach a wider audience. People in other areas could do the same.

Nelson: Friday 8.30pm Church Steps, Trafalgar Street, Nelson

Maia at the Hand Mirror has links to some posters for the demos.

Auckland poster

Hamilton poster

Hamilton action against rape culture

Palmerston North poster

Wellington (jpg)  poster (pdf)

stop rape culture wellington

[Update]  The silencing impact of rape, rape culture, and surrounding discourse is expressed by this survivor of sexual assault [ Trigger Warning for this link]:

In some ways, this past week has started a national conversation on an amazing level – one that needed to happen. It makes up about half of my Facebook newsfeed every time I log in; it’s all anyone’s talking about at work, out at drinks, on the news. People who have never thought about these issues before are starting to form opinions, be challenged, made uncomfortable. And lots of ways that’s good. It’s great.

But every time the conversation starts up in the office again, I fall silent. No one has asked me why that is; I’m not sure what I’d tell them. I haven’t left any comments on my friends’ posts. I watch some of my male friends and colleagues doing brave, admirable things; setting great examples for others – especially for other men – and reaping a lot of praise in liberal circles for it, too. And I support all of that. So why do I feel so minimised, so silenced by this conversation that’s going on? Why do I feel like the voices I’m hearing the least are those of survivors, while people loudly jumping on the feminism 101 bandwagon for the first time in their lives are praised for being so enlightened?

NB: Please keep discussions below this post in support of the Day of Action, the campaign against Rape Culture, ways of support victims, and ways to build a mainstream society free of misogyny and sexism.  Please keep in mind the impact of our words on survivors.

The comments below will be moderated accordingly.

Other Standard authors, please feel free to add to this post, and/or moderate any comments.  Unfortunately I will be offline and away from a computer for most of the day and evening.

13 comments on “National Day of Action Against Rape – today (16 Nov) ”

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  1. Penny Bright 1
    16 November 2013 at 12:07 pm

    Are there links to these documents?

    * We want the Law Commission report into pre-trial and trial processes for sexual assault victims to be reinstated immediately.

    * We want implementation of recommendations by TOAH-NNest and Wellington Rape Crisis

    Thanks!

    Penny Bright

  2. rhinocrates 2
    16 November 2013 at 12:23 pm

    This is horrible and something every New Zealand police officer – especially Peter Marshall – needs to see. Trigger warnings apply.

    http://www.upworthy.com/a-marine-was-assaulted-her-commander-said-she-deserved-it-for-wearing-running-shorts-really?c=ufb1

  3. McFlock 3
    16 November 2013 at 1:25 pm

    100-200 people at the Dunedin event – lots of heart-wrenching and thought-provoking comments, but also really positive. Although I ditched at 12ish when the musicians started.

  4. rhinocrates 4
    16 November 2013 at 6:36 pm

    I see that both Greg O’Connor and Garth McVulture have headed for the hills…

  5. karol 5
    16 November 2013 at 10:30 pm

    Quite a positive print report here on Stuff – video is fairly superficial.

    Print report states some of the demands re education and trial processes.

    Also NZ Herald gives some coverage to the issues and demands.

    This doesn’t always happen with demos. So good result.

    Reasonable report from 3 News but limited on the demands/ proposed changes.

    Better coverage by One News of the issues and demands – some from Louise Nicholas in her speech.

  6. adam 6
    17 November 2013 at 4:01 pm

    Some great speeches in Auckland and good choice of the park to do them in.

  7. Jacobin 7
    17 November 2013 at 5:44 pm

    The Dunedin gathering was good 🙂

    One woman made a really strong analogy to the fact that even after women had been given the right to vote there was a sustained campaign by first wave feminists many years after to get the age of consent raised to 16 among howls that they were “puritan” and “on a witchhunt” and so on.

    Seems some men/police still have that attitude, and they really need to GTFO off the force if they do.

    • karol 7.1
      17 November 2013 at 5:56 pm

      Yes, first wave feminists have been treated badly by some writings of history. They had a far broader understanding of the issues for women, and wanted far broader cultural and social changes than just the granting of the right to vote.

  8. vto 8
    19 November 2013 at 5:06 pm

    right on cue.

    talk about reactionary.

    and how on earth is it so illegitimate to bring up men’s position given the nature of the post? went up to copy and paste something to support bringing this up but didn’t because there were so many references to “men” “white male” “gendered this” “gendered that” “males” it just goes on and bloody on….

    ok then, here is one copied and pasted
    “To address fully the impact of our highly gendered socio-economic system that has institutionalised gendered violence, it is important to work to counter the ways that low income women are at the forefront of those suffering most.”

    low income women are at the forefront of those suffering most…. Well, most compared to what? It is very clear that what you are saying Karol is that it is the most compared to those on higher incomes, and the most compared to those not women i.e. men. So I posited that perhaps this is not correct.

    So how is not permissible to comment as I did? You are comparing the situation of women to that of men yourself Karol.

    But look, honestly, don’t let me derail your post – its yours to deal with as you wish.

    [karol: Ah, and vto, here YOU are, right on cue.
    But look, honestly, don’t let me derail your post
    – ah… so honest – and yet you are derailing. Your points can be answered somewhere else on TS.

    its yours to deal with as you wish. Exactly. So I’m sending this to moderation and asking that it be sent here:

    http://thestandard.org.nz/national-day-of-action-against-rape-culture-16-nov-15th/

    You can continue to argue it there.]