WSSA Calls for Sexual Assault Centre

Statement of Support

OpinionsWomen’s Studies Student Association Executive & Members — Published October 16, 2012

Sexual assault is an all-too-common reality for many women, and by extension a primary concern for feminists. One in four students will experience sexual assault over the course of a post-secondary career. Over 80 per cent of these are women. 

We, Women’s Studies students, seek to identify interconnected systems of oppression; thus we see sexual assault as connected to societal norms of sexism, racism, ablism, homophobia and transphobia.
Statistics indicate that women with disabilities, racialized women and gender non-conforming persons are often targeted by perpetrators of sexual assault.

Sexual assault and violence affects the physical, psychological and emotional wellbeing of the individual. It also affects the broader community by making those who are not directly affected feel fearful of the possibility of being assaulted.

To stall on the creation of a Sexual Assault Centre is to further endanger the safety of Concordia’s population, and neglects a reality that is predominantly borne by women.

We ask Concordia University to acknowledge the need for a Sexual Assault Centre, and to prioritize the safety of all its students by tasking one or more persons to work with the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy to research and develop structures and accessible policies for the creation of such a centre in consultation with Concordia’s student body.
 
We request that the research and creation of the Sexual Assault Centre takes into account the intersection of different forms of oppression as stated above.

In that sense, Concordia’s Sexual Assault Centre should provide gender-neutral washrooms, should be wheel-chair accessible, transfriendly and be open for all, regardless of gender and gender identification, race, socio-economic status, and/or ability or sexual orientation.