A string of attacks at York University occurred earlier this month. Meanwhile, three separate women in their 20s reported being sexually assaulted over the course of several weeks in the Kensington Market area*. Police have yet to identify any suspects. All in all, sexual violence in Toronto seems eerily prevalent at the moment.
York’s administration got considerable flack for what was deemed a poor handling of the issue, but less discussed is how, across town in the College/Spadina ‘hood, the city has measured up in dealing with the assaults (which haven’t been widely publicized, other than a smattering of fliers posted in the area and the odd news article). It’s worthwhile to examine how police and community leaders have responded so far, and whether more can be done.
Michelle Davis is Safety Program Director at The Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children, a non-profit that works to prevent and end violence against women and children.
She says there’s room for improvement where police notification is concerned, and that officers should be making better use of immediate methods like social media, followed by postering and community town-hall meetings—the latter of which has not yet happened in Kensington.
A delayed publicization of sexual assault—as was the major complaint against the York administration—is not uncommon, she says.
“Sometimes people don’t want to send information too quickly because they think it’s alarmist and gets people anxious,” says Davis. “I take the opposite approach: the more communication and correction information coming out from a credible source [like police or a university], the better.”
Davis stresses that getting the word out immediately to residents is key to showing that the issue is being taken seriously, encouraging other potential victims to come forward and enabling residents to take necessary precautions.
Further, she adds that sex-crime prevention can’t be taken out of the equation. “There are no quick fixes. We should be asking how the City can support sexual-assault awareness and education campaigns.”
Ilham Alam is a member of the Toronto Women’s City Alliance, which brings women’s issues to the attention of City Hall and policymakers. She’s also a counsellor at the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre.
When an area of the city is struck by sexual violence, Alam says, local social-service agencies, advocacy groups, and politicians would—in an ideal world—partner with residents and ensure the neighbourhood is made aware, through methods like posters and community town-hall meetings. Community leaders would also organize empowering evening events such as Take Back the Night to rally residents, boost morale, and reclaim their streets.
But, in reality, city leaders haven’t paid much attention to the Kensington or York University incidents.
“There hasn’t been much of a response to these incidents of sexual violence, especially compared to the shooting that happened in Scarborough last week,” notes Alam.
“Politicians representing the area where sexual assaults are happening should be taking a leading role in arranging awareness campaigns—this is unfortunately not happening. You don’t see Mayor Rob Ford or any of the high-ranking politicians coming out and saying, ‘We gotta donate more money to rape crisis centres or better infrastructure [like extra lighting] to ensure safety.””
When first interviewed for this article, Trinity-Spadina councillor Adam Vaughan (whose ward includes Kensington Market) said that, in light of his constituency’s ongoing efforts to target increased violence and drug deals in the area, he wasn’t sure what a community gathering specifically addressing the recent sexual assaults would achieve.
“All women, and all people, need to be cognizant of the fact Kensington Market has the potential to be, sometimes, not a very safe place. I’m not sure how a public meeting on these recent incidents would create an extra layer of safety.”
However, after further thought and a conversation with Jane Doe (the Toronto woman who, through the 1990s, fought for 11 years to prove the police had used her as rape bait), Vaughan called back and acknowledged that more could be done.
“From what I understand, most sexual assault goes unreported,” Vaughan says. “So if there have supposedly been three incidents in Kensington Market, there have probably actually been nine, if not 12 or 15.”
He’s pledged to partner with a local community centre and hold a community meeting, where women can get more information and voice their ideas about improving safety. Further, his office is contemplating a direct-action plan to encourage men in the area to stand up against sexual violence.
Ultimately, without increased leadership and education on these issues, the misperceptions around rape and sexual assault will continue to filter down from officials.
Says Davis, “It can feel like women are blamed for sexual assault; ideas like, ‘You shouldn’t have been in that place at that time, you shouldn’t have been drinking or wearing what you were wearing’—all of that both informs how society responds to it, and keeps the sexual-assault reporting rate low.”
CLARIFICATION, JULY 27, 2012: Some of the sexual assaults referenced here did not occur within the proper borders of Kensington Market, but in the vicinity thereof. The article text and headlines have been modified to reflect this.
Original Article
Source: the grid to
Author: Jodie Shupac
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