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violence against women

July-August 2017

In addressing sexual assault cases on campus, B.C. universities miss the mark

Whether new policies for handling sexual violence at universities in British Columbia will be effective remains to be seen

Madi Haslam@madihaslam

This year, Canada celebrates its 150th birthday. Ours is a country of rich history—but not all Canadian stories are told equally. In this special report, This tackles 13 issues—one per province and territory—that have yet to be addressed and resolved by our country in a century and a half In April 2016, British Columbia passed a […] More »

Gaslighting

A 101 on this classic form of abuse

Hillary Di Menna

Gaslighting, often referred to as crazy making, is a type of emotional abuse. Abusers use this technique to confuse their victims. Victims become vulnerable to manipulation in this confusion and abusers, by nature, take advantage of this pliability. The term comes from a 1938 play by Patrick Hamilton. The play titled Gas Light (also known […] More »

Gender Block: rape is still rape even when you like the accused

Why we need to stop victim-blaming and letting celebrities off the hook when they're accused of sexual assault and rape

Hillary Di Menna

Earlier this month LA-based 90s treasure L7 played the Danforth Music Hall in Toronto. Named for one of the band’s more famous songs, a “Shit List” was made and displayed in the venue’s women’s bathroom. On this list were names of men who have assaulted women. The list came with extra paper and pens for people to add more […] More »

Gender Block: online harassment is a real concern

Hillary Di Menna

Late last January a man in Winnipeg tweeted that the bar he was at was displaying a sexist poster. The bar agreed, and thanked him for calling it out. This constructive back-and-forth did not, however, stop the onslaught of tweets calling the man, Ben Wickstrom, a “pussy” and other predictably homophobic slurs. Despite the online […] More »

Gender Block: real men don’t …

Hillary Di Menna

Like believing in Santa Claus and thinking blue participation ribbons symbolize some sort of merit, we leave a lot behind with our childhood. Yet the idea that “bad guys” are rare and easy to pick out seems to linger. If a man commits an act of violence, like sexual assault or emotional abuse, he isn’t […] More »

Gender Block: Yes All Women

Hillary Di Menna

Since the Elliot Rodger story broke two weekends ago, many took to Twitter and other social media platforms using #YesAllWomen. With this hash tag, women posted circumstances regarding all kinds of abuse and discrimination. For many, this kind of sharing can be a way for a victim to have their voice heard, a forum for […] More »

Gender Block: why didn’t she leave?

Hillary Di Menna

It wasn’t easy leaving my abusive ex. He was cooler than me; people liked him. Girls were jealous of me because he was good-looking. No one believed me when I shared only a fragment of what was happening behind closed doors, and if they did, they would remind me if it were that bad, I’d […] More »

WTF Wednesday: Charges worst case scenario for Rehtaeh Parsons’ case

Hillary Di Menna

Three days after his daughter’s suicide, Rehtaeh Parsons’ father and professional writer, Glen Canning, published a post on his blog. “[Rehtaeh was] disappointed to death,” he wrote. “Disappointed in people she thought she could trust, her school, and the police.” The post begins with 17 years worth of good things—Parsons love of animals, a box he planned […] More »