Wessex Scene Sexual Consent & Awareness Magazine by Wessex Scene

WESSEX SCENE

SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS

E D I T OR f r e ya mi l l ard editor@wessexscene.ac.uk D E PUT Y ED IT OR C ameron ri d g way deputy-editor@wessexscene.co.uk H E A D OF D ES IG N m ac k en zi e B rown design@wessexscene.co.uk D E PUT Y H EA D OF DE SIGN Hannah egert on design@wessexscene.co.uk H E A D OF IMA G ERY he r mi on e cook image@wessexscene.co.uk H E A D OF MA RKETING lau r a s wi n b urn e publicity@wessexscene.co.uk F E A T URES ED IT OR am y p i ck n el l features@wessexscene.co.uk P O LIT ICS ED IT OR z ach ari ah s h ari f politics@wessexscene.co.uk O P I N ION EDIT OR c har l ot t e col omb o opinion@wessexscene.co.uk LI F E S T YL E ED IT OR j u li a b eazl ey lifestyle@wessexscene.co.uk SCI EN CE & T ECH E DITO R j am e s mos el ey science@wessexscene.co.uk TR AVEL ED IT OR c he ls ea s mi t h travel@wessexscene.co.uk I N T ERNA T IONA L E DITO R i van morri s p ox t on international@wessexscene.co.uk

WELCOME EVERYONE! The topic of sexual consent awareness hits close to the heart for so many of us and in light of last year with the impact of the ‘me too’ movement, it feels increasingly important that everyone, including us here at Wessex Scene, keep the conversation going. In this magazine, we address the issues that contribute to the lack of sexual consent awareness in our society, from slut shaming, to blaming women’s clothing, from the choice of male language to the effects of lad culture, and from Westminster to Hollywood. There are so many factors that influence the way we address consent and with that being said, the only way to find a unified understanding and hopefully a resolution, is to openly and productively talk about what the hell is going on right under our noses and in every in every corner of the globe. Everyone has the right to choose what they do with their own body and it is never acceptable to take that decision away from someone else. Consent is crucial, and as a society we should not stop focusing on this topic until the problem is solved, no matter how long that takes. It is time we all stop tolerating ignorance to this issue. If what happened in 2017 taught us anything, it is that speaking out can shake the foundations of this world. To quote Oprah Winfrey, ‘A new day is on the horizon and when that new day finally dawns it will be the time when nobody has to say me too again.’ But until then we must keep talking... #metoo

THE EDITOR

SP ORT S EDIT OR dam i an mead en sport@wessexscene.co.uk SUB- EDIT OR far i h ah ch oud h u ry

IN COLLABORATION WITH

SUB- EDIT OR hannah b ees on SUB- EDIT OR m e gan h art V P D CI E V I E REI L LY vpcomms@soton.ac.uk

FRONT COVER IMAGE BY SOPHIE WILLIAMS SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS MAGAZINE

WESSEX SCENE | WELCOME

FEATURES

OPINION 10

WHAT REALLY CONSTITUTES CONSENT?

WHAT CAN MEN DO ABOUT CONSENT?

SEXUAL CONSENT CAMPAIGNS

“DON’T HAVE SEX. YOU WILL GET PREGNANT. AND DIE.”

SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT: SEXUAL CONSENT AWARENESS SOCIETY

INTERVIEW WITH FIONA WOOLARD

POLITICS

SCIENCE & TECH 18

SEXUAL HARRASSMENT IN WESTMINSTER

WHY IS THERE SUCH A FOCUS ON WHAT WOMEN WEAR IN POLITICS?

WOMEN’S RIGHTS UNDER TRUMP

GADGETS TO HELP YOU DRINK SAFELY

LIFESTYLE

INTERNATIONAL 26

RAPE: A WEAPON OF THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

HOW DO SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWS DIFFER AROUND THE WORLD?

SPORT 32

SHOULD RAPE ALLEGATIONS BE ALLOWED TO RUIN AN ATHLETE’S CAREER?

SHOULD MAINSTREAM MEDIA DO MORE TO PROMOTE SCA?

DOES SPORT HAVE A LAD CULTURE PROBLEM?

W ESSEX SCENE. CO . UK @ W ES S E XS CE NE SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS MAGAZINE

RED MY LIPS

OUTFITS AREN’T THE PROBLEM

STEALTHING: SHOULD I BE WORRIED?

TRAVEL IS SEX TOURISM MORALLY WRONG?

IS YOUR BACKPACK SEXUALLY SAFE?

SEXUALISED ON THE CONTINENT

F B . C OM / W S C E N E @OF F IC IAL W E S S E X S C E N E 3

SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS MAGAZINE

Sexual Consent Campaigns WORDS BY AKSHADA RAWAT IMAGE BY LOUISE REGAN

Consent is… beautiful, it is enthusiasm, it is a free choice, it is mutual. It is NOT assumed, NOT a right of marriage, NOT in the clothes you wear. Ask for Angela

One of the most recognised campaigns for sexual consent is the “Ask for Angela” campaign. It’s also known as a code-word campaign. The campaign began when Hayley Child, the Substance Misuse Strategy Coordinator for Lincolnshire County Council, posted a poster online describing Ask for Angela. ‘Hi I’m Angela,’ the poster says. ‘Are you on a date that isn’t working out? Do you feel like you’re not in a safe situation? Is your Tinder or POF [Plenty of Fish] date not who they said they were on their profile? Does it all feel a bit weird? ‘If you go to the bar and ask for ‘Angela’ the bar staff will know you need some help getting out of your situation and will call you a taxi or help you out discreetly – without too much fuss.’ This began as an awareness poster on Twitter in 2016. The poster was retweeted by Hollywood celebrity Ashton Kutcher and got global attention. Since then all the UK pubs have been asked by the National Pubwatch to support Ask for Angela. An initiative such as this will only be effective if all staff are fully aware of the poster and have the confidence to act and support the customer if they are approached for help.

#MeToo

From just a Twitter hashtag, #MeToo became a campaign against sexual harassment. It began with a report enumerating incalculable claims against Hollywood film maker Harvey Weinstein. Soon, individual stories started pouring in from women in all enterprises around the world, and the hashtag #MeToo turned into an encouraging cry against sexual assault. The movement started via social media networks after actor Alyssa Milano, one of Weinstein’s most vocal critics, expressed: “If all the women who have been sexually harassed or assaulted wrote ‘Me too’ as a status, we might give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.” Within a few days, millions of women and men used Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as a medium to unveil the harassment and abuse they have faced in their lives. This included big names and some public figures, for example, Björk and Olympic gymnast McKayla Maroney, who felt empowered to finally stand up. It was empowering to witness worldwide female solidarity take place online. However, it is imperative to continue this discussion, in order to initiate the kind of change all women have been hoping for.

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Mexico City metro’s ‘penis seat’

Nine out of ten women in Mexico City have been victims of some form of sexual violence in their daily commutes. As a part of their new campaign to combat sexual harassment on the city’s public transport network, the United Nations and the Mexico City authorities installed an unusual looking seat, with a penis and protruding male chest built into the moulded plastic on the metro. The sign on the seat said, ‘for men only’. The seat features in an online video where the men are shocked to see the seat and they make an attempt to sit down. A sign on the floor reads: “It is annoying to travel this way, but not compared to the sexual violence women suffer in their daily commutes.” At the launch of the campaign, Ana Güezmes, representative of UN Women in Mexico said: “Most men do not consider sexual harassment as violence. Saying things to women, whistling at them, are considered absolutely normal. The campaign seeks to change (this view), to stop men thinking that sexual harassment is normal. There are many men who do not harass and we want these men to be brave and go out and say that this is not normal.”

Bystander Intervention

Jane Stapleton, a University of New Hampshire researcher gave shape to the Bystander Intervention campaign. The posters on the bus at the University of Massachusetts says, ‘If I see the potential for sexual assault I’ll be an active bystander. DO SOMETHING.’ The main objective of the campaign was if a drunk young man at a party is pawing a drunk young woman, then someone nearby (the bystander) needs to intervene and get the victim out of the situation. Stapleton runs the bystander intervention programs at colleges around the country and in Europe, telling students they’ll need to be creative about outmanoeuvring aggressors.

#ConsentIs

The Crown Prosecution Service in 2015 launched a new awareness campaign on sexual consent. It was a social media campaign where the main motive of the CPS was to get people talking about consent to sex within the context of sexual assault and rape. For the campaign, CPS partnered with Rape Crisis, End Violence against Women Coalition, Survivors Manchester, White Ribbon Campaign and the National Union of Students. The campaign aimed to raise awareness that people should not confuse what exactly sexual consent is and people should openly talk about the issue and understand it, by using the hashtag #ConsentIs on Twitter and Instagram. More and more people recognise what consent is and are actively trying to understand it. It is important, particularly as it is something that rape cases hinge on in court, and is a key consideration when deciding whether to bring charges.

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" Don't Have Sex. You Will Get Pregnant.

And Die.

WORDS BY SARAH WHITTINGTON IMAGE BY RACHEL WINTER I don’t know what your PSHE classes looked like, but I’d say a good chunk of mine, pre-year 11, were watching clips of Mean Girls and The Shawshank Redemption, with the occasional few token hand-outs. This may have been more the particular teacher’s approach, but the fact remains that when I was given an article prompt on how sex education could be improved in schools, I wasn’t exactly short of ideas. Ideas like consent, inclusion of those who identify as LGBTQ+, relationships and mental health, negotiating relationships in the age of Snapchat and other social media, and the reality that if we don’t teach children what healthy relationships look like, they will learn it from other, potentially harmful sources. So imagine my surprise when, whilst googling for a bit of current post-school life context, I find that the government is actually planning to overhaul the current framework for sex and relationships education, due for consultation this very autumn with a planned implementation date of 2019. To give them credit, it doesn’t actually look too skeleton-like a provision. Responding to repeated calls from organisations such as Mumsnet and the PTA, the government is proposing to make sex and relationships education statutory in all state-maintained secondary schools, with relationships education also statutory in primary schools. As a baseline for proposed consultation, the government is planning for these lessons to include how children can recognise healthy relationships, covering both friends and family alongside romantic relationships, factual knowledge around sex and sexuality (the latter of which I’m hoping means LGBTQ+ inclusion), the impact of relationships on our emotional, mental and physical

health, and also covers safety online. They even note the inclusion of economic wellbeing and the dangers of drugs. Still, there is the proposed clause that parents have the right to withdraw their children from these lessons, and also for faith schools to be able to teach in line with the tenets of their faith. Yet, as a starting point, this seems more forward-thinking than watching Regina George get hit by a bus. If, as the government is hoping, this is taught from 2019, students stand to gain from a comprehensive view of sex and relationships; which covers much more than the standard STIs/contraception talk; which takes into account the impact technology is having and will continue to have on what children learn about the fundamentals of adult life; as well as building and maintaining relationships. The next step here, then, is to ensure that these proposals do actually get their time of day. ‘Statutory’ doesn’t equal ‘organised, funded, and training provided’, which is going to be vital to the success of these new lessons. And, in a world where teachers are having to pay for pens and paper out of their own pockets, where timetabling is stretched, where exams are the ‘be all and end all’ and some girls are missing school because they can’t afford to buy period products, the government has to realise that proper funding and organisation is crucial to the success of what are incredibly important proposals. If every child did leave school with a good knowledge of sex and relationships and felt empowered to make their own choices, imagine the positive impact that would have. So here’s hoping.

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SOCIETY SPOTLIGHT:

SEXUAL CONSENT AWARENESS SOCIETY

WORDS BY LAURA BARR AND DAVE WILLIAMS Sexual assault is an increasingly prevalent topic, both in global society and at a much more local level. From the two reported assaults during Freshers’ week right here in Southampton to Hollywood’s abuse of power, it is clear that action needs to be taken. Sexual Consent Awareness Southampton is a movement led by students from across the university who are passionate about taking steps to prevent assault and promote sexual health. At its core, our society is about tackling the taboo and stigma associated with these topics to stop abuse and support victims to help them move forward. Our society reaches across all aspects of student life, with representative positions for everything from University of Southampton, SUSU-run halls, and sports to external groups on our committee. Newcomers motivated to make a difference are always welcome, no matter their background or experience. We believe that you are not victim to sexual assault based on what you wear, your gender, sexuality or background. We strive to be a mode of support through our connections with other organisations, within the city of Southampton and nationwide, including Yellow Door, LGBT+ and Sexpression. SCA Soton should be somewhere people can trust and go to, whether they are just looking for someone to listen, are concerned about a friend or want to fight harassment and abuse. Part of our work is focused on promoting the importance of sexual health in all communities and the importance of using protection. Testing for STDs and looking after oneself within relationships, both romantic and sexual, is crucial, and can sometimes be understated. Across the coming year, we are striving to run more events related to this, from educational talks to clinics. We also believe that consent is blind, and want to highlight abuse where SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS MAGAZINE

men are the victims to combat assumptions and stigma, and work to prevent the spread. Since forming in the last academic year, SCA Soton has had an immediate profile around campus. SCA Week is our most public time, taking place in February of each year. In 2017, we co-ordinated with Southampton nightclubs signing a protective charter, held activities and distributed condoms with SCA-based slogans. Already this year you might have seen our light blue #ExpectRespect wristbands or teal shirts around. The sexual consent tree that invited people to share what consent meant to them on the SUSU concourse had an amazing response and the No Worries Wednesday fayre organised by SUSU’s Vice President Welfare Sam Higman was a visible success. Some of our plans for the future include halls-wide activities with an emphasis on targeting freshers, blanket coverage media campaigns and an increased focus on tackling abuse within sports culture. We want to source training in SCA-related areas, and grow connections across the country. This year’s SCA Week will be a great opportunity to help raise awareness, but we are working all year round to achieve our aims. Whether you have a great idea for an event we could help with, how we could run a campaign, or if you just want to get involved, please message our Facebook page. Discussions will always remain confidential, and that will never change. If this topic is affecting you personally, you can find help and support from Yellow Door, MIND, Halls Welfare Officers, the SUSU Advice Centre, the University’s Enabling Services, Steps2Wellbeing or from your GP.

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INTERVIEW WITH

FIONA WOOLLARD ON SEXUAL CONSENT WORDS BY BRUNO RUSSELL IMAGE BY HERMIONE COOK I interviewed fiona wollard - a proFESSOR IN PHILOSOPHY AT SOUTHAMPTON - TO DISCUSS APPROACHES TO CONSENT AND RAPE, BASED ON HER WORK ON SEXUALITY AND SEXUAL CONDUCT. Let’s take a case from my own work: a woman has a fantasy for professional footballers. Without you knowing this, you lie about being a footballer and she sleeps with you for this reason alone. Without this, she would not have slept with you. Is her consent not proper here? Yes, there are worries that she did not really consent. Deception undermines consent. Also: why would someone lie about being a footballer in this situation unless it was because they thought it would improve their chances of having sex, which does seem to show a lack of proper concern for consent. But I suppose we could fudge the details so that he could not have reasonably known his actions were undermining consent. The question of what you ‘reasonably ought to have known matters’ – it is not just what you actually believe. We ought to know that – sadly – a large number of prostitutes are trafficked. So someone who has sex with a prostitute who has been forced into prostitution can’t get away with just assuming there is consent. They have a duty to properly investigate. Anyway if (and this is a big if ) we can come up with a case where the person who told the footballer lie really couldn’t have reasonably been expected to know the lie undermined consent, we might not think that they have done anything wrong. But we can still say something bad has happened to the victim: they have still had a sexual encounter they didn’t fully consent to.

This seems to raise a broader question. Does the intention to rape need to be present in rape? No, you don’t need an intention to rape in order to count as having raped someone. To avoid being blameworthy, you need at least a reasonable belief that they have consented, not

simply to lack a reasonable belief that they haven’t consented. In cases where women “freeze” during sex, men have a responsibility to check the woman is happy to continue as this behaviour ought to stop you reasonably thinking they are consenting. Part of this is about good sexual conduct: showing care towards your partner and a respectful awareness of their consent. It can also be about the language we use. Saying “you want this, don’t you?” is not equal to saying “do you want to continue?” in a way that makes it clear that there will be no repercussions for saying no. In cases where people may be fearful of saying no (i.e. if they’ve gone back home with you and don’t know how you will react to rejection), this could make all the difference.

What about cases where men (or women) do everything they reasonably ought to do, but the partner convincingly pretends to consent because of this fear of the possible response? We can say something about this: we ought to ensure our sexual partners feel comfortable and able to honestly express themselves. This is in the interest of men too. Most men would be horrified if they learnt, after sex, that a partner only went through with intercourse because they were scared. But even in rare cases where someone has done everything they can to check and their partner still felt they had to fake consent, we can recognise that something very bad has happened to that partner. She (or he) has had sex which she didn’t fully consent to. We can recognise this even if we don’t think he did anything blameworthy.

This seems to link to another question: is there something here about how explicit consent ought to be? Can we have implicit consent, or even absent consent? Absent consent (the lack of no consent indicating consent) cannot be right. It undermines self-ownership as it puts the onus on the possible victim to refuse sexual activity: we essentially need a reason to refuse sex. This should never be

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the status quo. I think the difference between explicit and implicit consent matters less than everyone having a genuine opportunity to say whether they want to continue. You can have ‘explicit consent’ even though someone doesn’t really want to have sex because they are too scared to say no. You can know that someone has consented, even if they haven’t done so explicitly. But if we are going for implicit consent, we need to very careful about what counts as implicitly consenting. I don’t think merely going back to someone’s room gives implicit consent.

Growing numbers of commentators are now talking about ‘male rape’. Should we recognise this? On the one hand, for equality, yes. But it may cause problems defining rape. The traditional view is that rape consists in penetration: this bodily violation is assigned specific importance. And the law does recognise that men can be raped through anal penetration. But we might want to recognise another type of male rape, where a women has ‘standard’ intercourse with a man against his will, nothing goes inside his body: rather it’s a form of envelopment (something goes around his body). Is this less of an insult on one’s sexuality autonomy? We need equality and to register the trauma

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men can experience. But it might be hard to defend a hard line which includes penetration and ‘standard’ heterosexual intercourse, but leaves out other forms of sexual contact. It’s harder than we think.

What is the role of academics in raising awareness about sexual consent? Philosophers, especially, should be involved because we spot inconsistencies and incoherence. But we need greater interaction with psychologists, sociologists, lawyers and other disciplines working on these issues. Specifically, we need to talk to those making the policies on sex education to think about how messages of consent are presented. Of course, the difficulty when it comes to talking about consent in university-level courses, like my philosophy of sex module, is that we can’t tell people what to think. We can only present them with the arguments, and let them decide.

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WORDS BY BRUNO RUSSELL IMAGE BY MARY McGUINNESS 10

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WHAT REALLY CONSTITUTES

CONSENT? The problem of what constitutes consent is perhaps one of the hardest questions to answer. Can you consent when drunk? Is a nod enough to register consent? Should it be more explicit? I’m going to argue that, on the most fundamental level, implicit consent is consent proper or put another way, consent can be implied given that there a reasonable belief that the partner’s behaviour indicates consent (i.e. they reciprocate behaviour). The exception to this rule is when you directly intend to take advantage of another. The first immediate comment, before I begin, is that I am only dealing with cases where the opportunity to consent or not consent is present. The normal epitome case – forcibly assaulting someone on the street – never gives them the option to consent. So this, of course, is immediately non-consensual. What do I mean by implied consent? There are two ways of viewing consent here. The first is explicit, literally saying ‘I do’. But, in reality, this is not consent in most cases. Rather, in most cases, the absence of anything which reasonably suggests consent is missing, alongside reciprocal behaviour (kissing, touching) implies consent is present. What kind of things would indicate lack of consent? Obviously, saying no. But also screaming, pushing away, your body going rigid or you stop kissing, touching etc. We ought not to go for an even weaker view that simply not showing non-consent is consent as this makes it seem like you need a justified reason not to consent and may feed into worries about female psychology and fear in sex. Of course, though worth adding, implicit consent is unfixed: you can change your mind regarding consent (including during intercourse itself ). This would require an expression or behaviour that breaks implied consent. This is because the judgement ‘consent is not present’ seems closely linked to judgements of rape and – especially in cases where consent was present, but one partner changes their mind – if this is not expressed in any way, it seems unfair to class this as rape (given that it still holds that the other party has a reasonable implied belief you are consenting). In the cases where you consent and then change your mind and express this by physical representation (i.e. stopping reciprocation), the onus falls on to the other party to ensure consent still remains given your behavioural sign which breaks the implicitness of the original consent. Note here that the expression need not be verbally shouting ‘stop’: there seems a genuine responsibility for both partners to read the behaviour of their partner both before, and during, intercourse. An obvious problem for this account is deceived or misguided consent: when you get someone’s consent in a way that, if they were sober or aware of all the facts, they would not have consented.

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The typical example is sleeping with someone when they are heavily intoxicated. They “consent” but if they had have been sober they would not have done so. They wake up regretting the event, perhaps even angry. This has led some critics to argue that consent was not originally present and that a rape has occurred. But the logic here is worrying. Say we meet at a club and I tell you I’m a professional footballer. Unbeknown to me, you sleep with me because you have the fantasy of sleeping with a professional footballer. You wouldn’t have slept with me otherwise. But I lied to you. And if you’d have known this you wouldn’t have slept with me. But does that mean you didn’t really consent? I’d say not, even though the consent contained deception. It certainly seems too strong to suggest that I raped you just because I lied to you about my profession. There is a way to get around this, though. It’s about the intention of the perpetrator. In the lying example, any perhaps many drunk cases, it doesn’t seem true that someone is meaning to manipulate you into consenting: they may be trying to make your consent more likely but that doesn’t mean they are trying to ‘force’ your consent. But then, in other drinking cases, this would be true. If a man preys on drunk women in a club, while sober himself, it seems his intention is to look for a woman who will ‘consent’ without realising the deception at play. The important factor here then is the direct intention to influence someone into consent rather than the trickery itself. But take another case: you know a man won’t sleep with you if he doesn’t use a condom. But you want to become pregnant. So you rip the condom and don’t tell him. Again, you’ve tricked him: he wouldn’t consent if he knew the condom was ripped. And your intention is to deceive him into sex. Yet is it true that, given this seems to fit his consent not being proper, that the women has raped the man here? One option would be to say that ‘rape’ can come in stronger and weaker forms. But this approach might lead to a slippery slope. Can we really distinguish between different kinds of rape? Isn’t any infringement on one’s sexual autonomy equally wrong? I think, then, that we ought to conclude that this is rape, given the criteria I have outlined. A deception, with the direct intention of deceiving to achieve consent, is what constitutes rape in cases of misguided or deceived consent. The suggestion here is that consent proper amounts to something a little more basic than some realise. To consent to sex requires an opportunity to consent, and implied consent as long as the other party is not intending to deceive you.

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What ca n m e n d o a bo u t co n s e nt? WORDS BY BEN McKECHNIE IMAGE BY EMILY KILMARTIN There is a culture amongst heterosexual men that any sexual encounter is a good one, and that they have either “scored” or “pulled”. This culture insults both men and women; it casts men as boors who only want sex and want it all the time, and it casts women as innocent creatures who must be persuaded or tricked into having sex. Instead, we need to see everyone for who they are – people who sometimes want sex and sometimes don’t. Anyone can be assaulted and it’s an issue for all of us. So what can we, as men, do about it? We can protect our friends – male and female – from others who are not as consent-conscious as ourselves. On a night out, if they are going home with someone we can just check in to make sure they are happy, clear-headed and confident enough to say no if they want to. If a stranger is “just taking them home to look after them” then you can graciously take your friend off their hands and let them enjoy their night. So how can we promote sexual consent for others? Firstly we can examine our own behaviors and make sure we are the best role models we can be for our peers. Is this person actually into me or am I harassing them? Does this person really want sex or am I pressuring them? Even if they do want to have sex, are they too drunk to consent? Am I too drunk to tell? Could this wait until morning when we’ve both sobered up?

should leave them alone. If they are trying to go home with someone that you suspect is too drunk, just point it out to them and try to find someone else to look after that person. The last thing we can do is take responsibility for ensuring sexual consent is part of the culture of your friendship group, sports team, or society. Share an anecdote about a time you did what you knew was right. That time you were dancing with someone and then she shot you an uncomfortable look and you felt like a bit of a fool and left. That time you went home with someone and then realized they were a bit plastered and you should probably just put them to bed and leave. This last point is absolutely crucial for committee members of clubs and societies. Younger members will look up to you as role models for how to behave. If you’re considering running for committee next year, start behaving like someone you would respect. If you’re in a society, vote for people whose attitudes towards consent make you proud of your club. We can all be better at promoting sexual consent to friends, strangers, and ensuring we live up to our own standards. Be that guy who always respects women. Be that guy who leads by example. Be an ambassador for your gender.

When it comes to our male friends, there’s no need to make a scene and call them out if you think they are acting inappropriately. Just point out to them that the person they are grinding on is really not into it so they 12

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SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN

WESTMINSTER WORDS BY CHARLOTTE COLOMBO IMAGE BY HERMIONE COOK

We all rightfully recoil at the thought of Donald Trump ‘grabbing’ women, and years later Bill Clinton’s reputation has never quite recovered from the affair allegations during his presidency. But what about the recent allegations in UK politics? Is enough being done? Why do they think they can get away with this? It would be easy to make a correlation between the fact that all these MPs are members of the Conservative Party; one could make the swift assumption that it is just another example of the rich fatcats taking what they feel entitled to, with a body just being another commodity which they can own. Is this true for some politicians? Without a doubt. But we cannot let party bias detract from the issue at hand. For me, this unacceptable pattern of sexual harassment in Westminster has three main driving forces: A feeling of ‘untouchability’ due to their powerful positions, the lack of consequences in place for such issues and worst of all, brushing off an increased awareness of consent as being an ‘overly PC’ cultural change with no serious implications behind it. Regarding the first issue, the fact that two of those accused held Secretary of State positions must be noted. These positions are crucial to the country’s running, and these are (apparently) men who make all the difference in society who we should all, in turn, respect. Subsequently, who would believe such accusations about these important people from just an average worker? When Nixon committed one of the biggest abuses of power in history with the Watergate scandal, he said that ‘it isn’t illegal if the President does it’. Politicians think that because they make the law, it doesn’t apply to them. But this isn’t right. A sexual abuser is a sexual abuser no matter how powerful they may be, and by not tackling the issue properly, those in charge are no better than the abusers.

So how do we know these issues aren’t being dealt with properly? All we have to do is look at the dates of these accusations. The accusations against Mark Garnier go back seven years earlier, whilst Michael Fallon has been making women feel uncomfortable since 2003. Yes, the allegations were only made recently, but how many women before those incidents? How many women since? These behaviors have patterns, and the lack of whistleblowing doesn’t necessarily mean that nobody was aware. Even now, it is clear the issue is not being dealt with sufficiently. Despite the Prime Minister calling for a ‘new culture of respect’, her idea of dealing with it involves a thoroughly disrespectful deescalation process. So her solution is not based on punishment and justice for predatory behaviour, but a mediation between the two. The issue? A mediation, by definition, implies that both parties are in the wrong, and both need to take equal steps to solve their issues. Well, excuse me for being ignorant, but I struggle to see how being preyed upon makes you equally as guilty. A quiet, tucked-away de-escalation also heeds the suggestion that maintaining an outward reputation is more important than justice and punishment. Maybe it’s better for the Party, but it compromises morals. Do we want people without morals representing us? The worst part of these accusations is the failure of the perpetrators themselves to see what they did wrong. When resigning, Michael Fallon said to the BBC that ‘what might have been acceptable ten, 15 years ago is clearly not acceptable now.’ Absurdly, he is trying to imply that the modern view on consent and harassment has victimised him. Well, guess what Michael? Harassment has never been acceptable. The only change is that people are unwilling to put up with it anymore.

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On March 28th, 2017, the Daily Mail’s front page was of Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon, the Prime Minister and the First Minister of Scotland respectively, with the headline “Never mind Brexit, who won Legs-it!” Not only was it grammatically incorrect, but also grossly inappropriate as the two leaders met to discuss the prospect of a second referendum on Scottish independence and the triggering of article 50, not to talk fashion and legs. Of course, nobody is expecting the Daily Mail to be at the forefront of not sexualising women, but this is a problem across media in general. So why can’t the media focus on what women in politics have to say rather than what they’re wearing or what their legs look like? A study published in Political Research Quarterly found that the gender of individuals running in an election influences how they are portrayed; articles about women for example, tend to talk more about their character and personality than men. This may not seem like a big deal – after all, there’s a lot to be said for personality politics – but articles on men focused 6 percent on their character, and 55.5 percent on political issues. With women, it was 9.4 percent on character and 53.1 percent on politics. However, election coverage should focus more on the politics of the matter and not what they’re like as a person, or the clothes they’re wearing – that’s not what they should be voted in on.

WHY IS THERE SUCH A FOCUS ON WHAT WOMEN WEAR IN POLITICS?

During Hillary Clinton’s victory speech at the New York Primary in April 2016, media outlets and social media were outraged at her almost $12,500 Armani jacket. Yet, they very rarely comment on the cost or make of a man’s clothes – I don’t understand why there are such double standards. Research has shown the importance appearance plays in election outcomes, and women are always under the spotlight more than men. Meanwhile, if you look at men in politics, it’s very difficult to find articles and social media posts dedicated to their fashion. The most popular one was probably Jeremy Corbyn being told to wear a ‘proper suit’ by David Cameron, or Barack Obama wearing a tan suit to a press conference in 2014.

Of course, a lot of the criticism of women’s clothing comes from it being more decorative than the male politician’s typical choices of dark suits, plain ties and white shirts. If women wear a pantsuit they’re trying to come across like one of the guys, if they dress up they’re no longer relatable to lower income and working class constituents, if they don’t dress up they’re looking tired or overly exposed. A study carried out by Girlguiding found that 41 percent of girls aged 9 to 16 thought there had been an increase in media sexism towards women recently, with 39% saying it has had a negative impact on their confidence, which, ultimately, will put women off WORDS BY CARLY-MAY KAVANAGH going into politics, a space which is still too dominated by men.

IMAGE BY FIONA LIU

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Coming up to the 100 year anniversary of women’s suffrage, it’s finally time to end the scrutiny of women in politics for what they wear. Criticise their political choices and what they stand for – leave their clothes out of it. 15

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Women's Rights

Under Trump WORDS BY ZACHARIAH SHARIF IMAGE BY ROBERT LEWIS Donald J. Trump is a man of many scandals. Allegations of corruption, white supremacy and several court cases have dominated his tenure as president. They are the elephants in the room that are constantly talked about. Trump’s infamous comments on women have been broadcast globally and discussed during hundreds of hours of television. Each of these statements should have meant political suicide, his ‘grab them by the pussy’ remark emerging in the election campaign being the most obvious one. But they didn’t. 53% of white women voted for Donald Trump. Furthermore, 16 women accuse Trump of sexual assault. Even if, as the White House claims, these women are lying, it adds to an already gigantic picture of Mr Trump as a sexist. Just why did so many women vote for Trump, and what do his views mean for women in general? Aside from the hateful rhetoric (which is harmful on its own), the Trump administration is actively engaging in the repression of women’s rights. In May, Trump signed an executive order (Classic Trump) promoting “religious liberty”. As ever, this was perhaps not the most liberal – politics tends to be that way (see the “Democratic” Republic of North Korea). This order, among other things tries to loosen tax codes that stop religious organisations from funding political parties. This is something that Donald complained about many times during his election campaign – much of his support comes from the Christian conservative right. But aside from being just self-serving and reducing secular democracy, this executive order is also extremely threatening to women’s basic rights. It allows any employer’s religious beliefs to legally allow them to refuse insurance coverage of birth control. Under the guise of tolerance and liberty, freedoms are being stripped in the favour of one particular belief. SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS MAGAZINE

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for this violation of reproductive rights. A senior staff attorney at the Union described this executive order as “giv[ing]broad license to employers to discriminate against their employees and withhold a benefit (birth control) guaranteed by law”. The ACLU describe this order as “blatantly unconstitutional”. This type of undemocratic behaviour is typical of Mr Trump, it is behaviour we have come to expect. In a tweet, the Union declared: “Only you should have the power to make decisions about your birth control”. This is what equality for women is all about: control. Women simply want to be able to have a choice. Sexual consent is a choice. What you wear is a choice. Having children is a choice. 1,200 members of the clergy and faith leaders wrote explicitly in an open letter to Donald Trump, opposing “discrimination in the name of religion”, stating that the order turns religious freedom into a “weapon to discriminate against broad swathes of the community, including women”. But it doesn’t seem like Mr Trump cares. His actions now as President prove that his endless rhetoric about women and the way he views them were not simply “locker room talk”. They may have been truthful.

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GADGETS TO HELP YOU

DRINK SAFELY WORDS BY GEORGIA JACKSON IMAGE BY AVILA DIANA CHIDUME

Unfortunately, in bars and clubs across the globe you have the chance of encountering date rape drugs. Having your favourite alcoholic beverage spiked is a scary possibility to think about, especially when all you want to do is go out and be carefree with your friends. However, getting your drink spiked while you are dancing away your worries sadly does happen, and incidences of drug related sexual assaults are increasingly common. Therefore, in a bid to tackle the occurrences of sexual assault, over the past five years scientists have been working on a number of gadgets that can alert victims of the presence of these lethal drugs. These gadgets aim to help drinkers feel safer whilst they are out enjoying themselves, as well as reduce the number of assaults. 18

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Coasters Firstly, drink coasters, that detect the presence of GBH and ketamine, are a great way to test what is in your drink and they can currently be purchased very cheaply from www.drinksafe.com. The coaster is a two test device and it is designed with the drink safe message displayed prominently on its centre. It has two test areas that are located in the bottom corners and the instructions for use can be found on the back. With just two splashes of your drink, you can quickly identify whether there is GBH or Ketamine present using these coasters. I for one, will definitely be investing in one of these cheap coasters to pop in my Jesters handbag.

Nail Polish Up next is my favourite product: drug detecting nail varnish. I personally love painting my nails before a night out; not only does it make me feel more glam but it also gets me in the mood to let my hair down. The brand entitled, ‘Undercover Colours’ have come up with a new type of innovative nail varnish that identifies the presence of date rape drugs through colour change. Who ever would have thought that a cosmetic product could aid your safety on a night out? Despite its pure genius, unfortunately due to complications with the FDA it is not currently on sale. But do not fear, the company has received a great deal of funding and global support, so hopefully we will be able to buy this product in the near future and feel safe and glam all at the same time.

Smart Straws Finally, there are smart straws. Three students from Florida developed a date rape drug detection straw that turns blue in the presence of drugs such as GBH. Now known as the Straw Ladies, these students won first place in the 2017 Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge High School Track and are now seeking patent protection so their product can go on sale to the public.

GPS Alarms After a woman was raped in the apartments where student Rebecca Pick lived, she decided that something needed to be done to ensure individuals in this awful situation can get instant help. So during her last year of university, Rebecca developed the idea of a simple electronic device that uses a mobile phone to alert police of the GPS where an attack is taking place. Not only does this device alert the police, but it also turns the phone into a recording device ensuring that evidence of the attack can be gathered. This device, also known as a Personal Guardian, only weighs a mere forty grams and therefore is incredibly easy to carry around. Furthermore, the device can also be attached to a bra strap, belt or any other pieces of clothing and is neutrally coloured to make it more discrete. The Personal Guardian can be activated by pressing the two buttons on either side of the device, which then automatically connects to your mobile phone. Unlike a normal rape alarm, this device then triggers a call which immediately connects you to a monitoring station. Once that has happened, staff will monitor the recording to identify whether the attack is taking place. The staff at the monitoring station can then alert the police and inform them of the exact location of the attack via GPS. Originally when the device was created, it only had one activation button. However, Pick then decided to change this to two buttons to cut down on the number of false alarms. Although the device is free, you do have to pay a monthly service charge, which is your decision, but sadly it may be a worthwhile payment. With this device, not only are the police immediately contacted, but also evidence will be recorded on the device to help your case in any future trials.

Going out and having a drink with your friends is something that shouldn’t fill you with anxiety or fear. Nevertheless, being wary and erring on the side of caution to double check what you are actually drinking or to have measures in place to help you if a situation is to arise is a sensible position to take. I would encourage anyone and everyone to invest in one of these devices. I would hope that there would be no need to use the devices in the first place but that’s not the world we live in yet. SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS MAGAZINE

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RED MY LIPS WORDS BY AKSHADA RAWAT IMAGE BY ALICE CLARK Sexual Violence is not just a term defined by assault or forced dominance, but it includes a wide range of behaviours such as invading space, sexual harassment, unwanted sexual touching, child sex abuse and human trafficking. Sexual violence is not about sex and gender but about who has power, control, and value in our society. When someone becomes the victim of sexual assault the most common phase comes into existence, ‘victimblaming’. Everyone starts questioning the victim, what they did or didn’t do and their behaviour makes them responsible for such a consequence. One reason we tend to blame victims of sexual violence is that we buy into myths about consent. We often perpetuate the idea that consent is confusing or that it is implied when someone is silent or doesn’t “fight back.” (Note: When it comes to sexual activity, there is no such thing as implied consent.)

Danielle Tansino was raped in 2011 and when she documented a police report, a female lead prosecutor disclosed to her that they wouldn’t indict the attacker since “members of the jury don’t care for young ladies that drink“, she said. In this moment, she realised it was not ‘the system’ that fails victims of sexual violence… we all do. We ARE the system. Tansino established ‘Red My Lips’ with expectations of giving individuals “a protected approach to exhibit solidarity and support for survivors, and stand in opposition to assault myths and casualty accusing.” ‘Red My Lips’ is a non-profit international organisation which aims to raise awareness about sexual violence. They are battling against victim-blaming and rape. Throughout the month of April, they run an awareness campaign wherein their supporters wear red lipstick. April is also a Sexual Assault Awareness month and throughout the

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month, organisations run different campaigns where they aim to educate people on how to prevent sexual violence. People support the assault survivors and many people open up and talk about their stories. The main objective of ‘Red My Lips’ is to make a change through their campaign. They are looking to transform our culture by educating people about sexual violence, inspiring people to red their lips. They believe that rape only happens to those girls who were given mixed signals and were put into wrong situations. People misunderstand rape as an uncontrollable sexual desire, it is more of an act of dominating with violence. This psychology of the society was voiced in 2011 when a Toronto police officer said, “Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised,” which was followed by the worldwide protests known as ‘slutwalks.’ ‘Red My Lips’ promote their campaign with the message of the slutwalk; that sexual violence is not caused by wearing revealing clothes or makeup, it’s caused by one person’s decision to overpower the another and violate their body. Until this issue is acknowledged, more and more people will be sexually violated. The organisation is outreaching people by providing them with educational material related to sexual assault. You can get their help and support by registering with them and then you can talk to them online as well as in person. The portion of their fundraising goes towards an organisation which supports the lives of sexual assault victims. They also help people around the globe to host fundraising events for victims.

against these damaging myths and victim-blaming attitudes. It allows us all to stand in solidarity with survivors and refuse to be invisible… refuse to be silent.” ‘Red My Lips’ intends to take a bold approach towards making a change in culture. They not only want to support culture change but they want to promote the survivors of sexual violence. The biggest challenge is the beliefs and mindsets of the community we live in. It’s very difficult to change people’s attitudes when they are not ready to accept change. Some who are ready and want to support such issues are scared of what society will think. People just need to take bold steps in life and their support will prove to make a big change in the community. “Standing up, being seen, and fighting for change takes strength and perseverance. This is one reason we call our supporters “Warriors”… because they’re fierce! (‘fierce’ – vehement, intense, strong).” Red My Lips ran their first campaign in 2011, and since then they have been a community of more than 5000,000 warriors from 100 counties. They sparked important conversations with people in their lives, challenged rape myths and victim-blaming, extended love and support to those who have been victimized, and countless survivors shared their stories, some for the very first time. “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.“

“Wearing red lipstick in April allows supporters to speak out

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OUTFITS AREN’T THE

PROBLEM WORDS BY SARAH WHITTINGTON IMAGE BY MARY McGUINNESS

The problem is the idea that in any situation, a crime might be considered less than a crime because of the appearance or otherwise characteristic of the victim. Still, too often when sexual assault is mentioned it is accompanied by the unwelcome question: ‘What were they wearing?’

make a wrong decision or make someone responsible for someone else’s decision. They’re just clothes. They should never offer anyone some sort of mitigating factor in what they chose to do, in the defence’s eyes, that of a judge, or in that of the wider public.

So lets start with another scenario; if I walked down the street, completely naked, and someone robbed me, that person still stole from me. They stole from me just the same as if I’d been wearing a parka zipped up to my chin, the latest grey knit scarf on top and a hat for good measure – the rules of right and wrong for the thief don’t change based on my clothes. The idea that I was to blame, or was more vulnerable to being robbed because of what I was wearing does one thing and one thing only; attempt at an excuse for what is inexcusable. Whatever I was wearing, the person who robbed me had their own independent will, and they made the choice to steal. My own outfit is utterly irrelevant.

So much work has been done to dispel preconceptions surrounding sexual assault – that it only happens to women, that it has to involve physical violence, that it only happens late at night or that alcohol is always involved. All of these beliefs are reported as myths by the frontline workers (such as Rape Crisis) who actually counsel survivors of sexual assault. They agree that sexual assault is to do with power and control, not any of the beliefs above and certainly not what the person was wearing, be it ‘sexualised’ or not. The reality is that sexual assault can happen to anyone; male or female, from any background, in any context, and it results from one and only one condition: the perpetrator making the decision to commit that crime. The blame of that crime, and the consequences for their choice rests entirely with them.

The same goes for sexual assault. Someone who goes out to a nightclub in a so-called ‘sexualised’ outfit and stiletto heels is not inviting the possibility of sexual assault simply because of what they are wearing. They’re going to a nightclub and exercising their right to wear what they want whilst doing so. Why shouldn’t they? Whether the outfit is ‘sexualised’ or not doesn’t detract from the fact that it is fabric, not a person’s consent. A person’s consent is the only reason you should touch someone anyways. Clothes, or lack thereof, do not compel someone to 24

To say otherwise is to say that, somehow, clothing is more powerful than a simple decision to respect another person’s right to their body. In whatever context, in whatever outfit, it’s not.

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STEALTHING: SHOULD I BE WORRIED? WORDS BY JULIA BEAZLEY IMAGE BY JAMES WORSFOLD You may have heard of stealthing due to the increasing awareness of it over recent months, but it is a reasonably new term in the world of sexual consent. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand what it is and how the world is responding to it. Stealthing is the act of removing a condom during sex without telling the other person you have done so, that is to say, removing it without consent. I wholeheartedly agree with Cristina Garcia, who chairs the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, when she states that: ‘Stealthing is rape. Penetration without consent is rape’. Rape is, rightly so, punishable by law. Yet, for some reason, stealthing has become a topic of debate in this field as more women are sharing their experiences and more men are attempting to justify their actions. In Lausanne, Switzerland in May, a man was taken to court after a woman discovered that he had deliberately removed his condom during what was originally consensual sex. Stealthing is particularly problematic as it has the ability to transform a consensual act into a non-consensual one. The culprit’s original conviction of rape was changed to defilement despite the fact that during intercourse the woman told him not to take his condom off, yet he did it regardless without her knowledge. The victim filed charges; she feared she might become pregnant or contract a disease; however, the defendant claimed that he hadn’t removed the condom on purpose and he refused to have an HIV test. A study found that men named a range of motivations for stealthing, including increased physical pleasures and a thrill for degradation and domination. The Independent spoke to an anonymous ‘stealther’ about why he commits such an atrocity. He explained simply that it ‘feels better with no condom on’ which, as an explanation for potentially getting someone pregnant without their knowledge, is one of the most selfish things I have ever heard.

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He added, ‘I really don’t want to get them pregnant so I definitely wouldn’t be leaving a trace. As for STIs, I don’t want to get them but I would run the risk.’ “Run the risk” may be one of the most nonchalant phrases to use for such obscenity, furthered by his thoughtful remark that he would put the condom back on if asked to do so because ‘that’s fair.’ Two Democratic representatives sent a letter to the House Judiciary Committee in October, asking its members to address this increasing problem. ‘Consent is not up for discussion, it is a requirement for the entirety of any sexual interaction. Stealthing violates an agreement between partners and is a dangerous form of sexual assault,’ Mr Khanna, one of the representatives, said in a statement. Nevertheless, stealthing continues to be an act which does not fit easily into legal frameworks and definitions of rape and sexual assault. Miss Maloney, the second Democratic representative, claimed that ‘we need a hearing so that Congress can hear from the experts about how to best address this issue as we continue to amend our country’s and universities’ responses to sexual assault and rape.’ In recent months, as awareness of stealthing is increasing, rape crisis organisations have come forward to support her views and argue that stealthing is a sex crime. Despite the term only coming into circulation over the last few months, stealthing has been a concern for many women for much longer than we suspect. With the increasing knowledge of it, both in society and in courts of law, hopefully we are getting closer to eradicating it altogether.

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RAPE: A WEAPON OF THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR WORDS BY TABASSUM RAHMAN IMAGE BY HERMIONE COOK Since 2012, the UN has declared that rape has been used as a weapon in the ongoing Syrian Civil War, with the number of victims probably in the tens of thousands. This is a war that has resulted in the rape and sexual assault of women in Assad regime prisons and the sexual enslavement of Yazidi women and children by ISIS militants. Yet, both forces have seldom been punished for these crimes against humanity. The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN) found that the majority of attacks have occurred during government-backed attacks on rebel positions, and that rape is employed as a state tactic for suppressing anti-government opposition. For example, in 2011, during their crackdown on protesters in Jisr Al-Shugour, Assad forces tactically raided homes where women were sleeping. Likewise, in Daraa the majority of children were abducted and sexually abused by pro-government forces in 2012. It is unsurprising, then, that in 2013 Save the Children asserted in a report on the plight of children in the Syrian Civil War that ‘there is proof that girls and boys scarcely over the age of 12 have experienced sexual violence, including both torture to their genitals and rape’. Similarly, in Assad regime prisons, prison guards have used sexual assault and torture as a means of punishment. For example, one woman named Zahira (pseudonym) was arrested and held prisoner where she was raped in ‘every body cavity’. Upon release, she had to undergo corrective surgeries for fecal-urinary incontinence caused by her multiple rapes. These are just a few examples of the persistent use of sexual violence that has been systematically embedded in the Assad regime for the last 6 years. The mass genocide and sexual enslavement of the Yazidi minority was infamous amongst the many horrors committed by Isis as part of their forced conversion campaign.In December 2014, ISIS militants even released a pamphlet with over 27 Q&As, which allows the selling and buying of captives as they are ‘merely property’ and, grotesquely, permits sexual intercourse ‘with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty (if she is fit for intercourse)’.

However, some brave Yazidi refugees have revealed their stories in the hope of raising awareness. Ekhlas, 17 years old, spoke of her 6 month captivity under ISIS: ‘everyday for six months he raped me. I tried to kill myself… How am I telling you this without crying? I tell you I ran out of tears’. Now, she aspires to be a human rights lawyer and remains a refugee under psychiatric rehabilitation in Germany. ‘With every war and major conflict, as an international community we say ‘never again’ to mass rape, Yet, in Syria, as countless women are again finding the war waged on their bodies–we are again standing by and wringing our hands.’ International Campaign to Stop Rape & Gender Violence in Conflict In 2014, China and Russia (the latter an ally of Assad) shamefully vetoed in the UN Security Council forwarding Syrian war crimes to the International Criminal Court, preventing a chance for justice. The implementation of UN Resolution 1820, which concerns the judgment of sexual violence as a war crime, is both slow and ineffective – the first related conviction only occurred last year. Some appear to have accepted the dehumanisation of Syrian civilians due to the refugee crisis. This isn’t a call for open borders. Rather, we must acknowledge that Syrians are humans like us all, and urgently demand prosecution of the perpetrators of these war crimes. We can no longer stand idly by as these women find war waged on their body and their livelihood raped.

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HOW DO SEXUAL ASSAULT laws DIFFER AROUND THE WORLD? WORDS BY LISA VEIBER The recent controversy in Hollywood regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault has raised concerns across the globe. While the US is now trying to write a law to tackle those issues at Capitol Hill, other countries like France are now trying to strengthen their existing laws. But what are the current regulations regarding violence against women? A recent study from the Washington Post examined four forms of violence – rape, marital rape, domestic violence and sexual harassment – for three years across 196 countries. Overall, they found that laws regarding marital rape and sexual harassment gave generally less legal protection to women, whereas rape has the strongest legal protection around the world. Indeed, the United Nations found that in 37 countries rapists are exempt from prosecution when they are married to, or marry afterwards, the victim. Still, without surprise they also found that Europe and North America were the strongest in overall legal protections, even if they’re not perfect and still need improvement. Western Asia was the weakest region of the globe for legal protection regarding this issue, due in part to the fact that they have no laws against marital rape. Yet, even if Europe and North America give more legal protection, a UN survey found that 23% of female undergraduate university students have experienced sexual assault and misconduct in the United States. Also, 82% of women parliamentarians in the Inter-Parliamentary Union have been victims of gestures and images of a sexist or humiliating sexual nature. In France, rape, including marital rape, is punishable by 15 years to life imprisonment depending on the circumstances, yet sexual aggression excluding rape only results in up to 5 years imprisonment and a €75,000 fine. In the United States, each state has the possibility to have its own particular law regarding sexual assault. In Texas the felon can face up to 20 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

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IMAGE BY ABI BARTHEE Surprisingly, other countries in Europe including Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands treat rape as an issue of morality rather than violence and allow the perpetrator to escape any punishment by admitting their guilt and reaching a settlement with the victim. In China, India and Indonesia, rape is legal if both parties are married and the rapist can also escape prosecution if they marry their victims. It is similar in Russia, Greece, Serbia and Thailand, but only if both parties were already in a relationship. In Japan, the penal code was to be amended at the end of the year to impose a heavier penalty, raising the minimum prison term up to 5 years while keeping the maximum limit to 20 years. Brazil is a country that recognised rape as a gender-neutral crime and punishes perpetrators with between 6 to 10 years imprisonment, while statutory rape was only criminalised in 2009. Meanwhile, Mexico is still tackling the rape culture as 91% of rapes are not reported and almost half of the female population will be victim to this crime. Recently, in the Middle East women have been campaigning to change laws that make them marry their rapists including in Jordan, Tunisia and Lebanon. Legislation has now been passed in these three countries to end the marry-your-rapist law. Even if women are offered some legal protection against sexual assault, it’s not enough. The rape culture and the shame around it that has anchored every culture around the world must cease before this issue can be properly legally addressed as many women are still afraid to speak up.

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IS SEX TO UR I SM MORALLY WR O NG? WORDS BY FREYA MILLARD IMAGE BY RACHEL WINTER Amsterdam, Bangkok, Las Vegas, Ibiza; all these cities and many others come to mind when you think of sex tourism and prostitution. Why do people feel compelled to pay for sex whilst travelling? Is it for the act itself? Or is it to assert dominance and control? Or maybe it’s for the feeling of power which surely comes with owning someone else’s body, in exchange for money? Purchasing sex abroad is a growing epidemic, our lad holidays and stag dos are almost becoming synonyms for paying for sex. Maybe it’s the taboo nature of buying sex in the UK that makes soliciting sex abroad so enticing for so many. According to The Independent, a recent survey found two-thirds of men admitted to having paid for prostitutes abroad. This is alarming, why is buying sex abroad so high on the priority list when travelling the globe? There are so many ethical dilemmas that come with purchasing sex, of course, the argument for allowing prostitution is rhetoric such as ‘It’s the world’s oldest profession’ or ‘It’s their livelihood’ and that ‘It is empowering for the woman.’ Perhaps all this is true, and perhaps you’ll find the one in a thousand sex worker who are doing their job because they absolutely love it. But what if you’re not with a sex worker like that? What if you are buying sex from an individual who has to do this because they have no other choice, maybe because they have no other means of getting money or they have a family to support or worst of all because they’ve been

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trafficked into the sex industry against their own free will. Is it still all fun and games? And is it still sex or is it now rape? Swarming cities across the globe just to buy sex obstructs the beauty of travelling to these locations into something quite disturbing. The majority of individuals who have reported paying for sex abroad are young men who have at least one or more sexual partners at home. So the popularity of sex tourism doesn’t really seem to be anything to do with the physical act but more to do with living out the dark fantasy of owning a woman, or for some it’s to impress the culture that tells them that paying for sex makes them a ‘lad’. I guess the real question is what shall we do about this social issue? The laws across the globe vary dramatically but many believe the Nordic model is the one we should all follow. In Sweden, it is illegal to pay for sex but not to sell sex. The belief behind this is that sex workers are often at high risk of being attacked and yet cannot come forward out of fear of prosecution. With this law in place, they are more likely to come forward and even more free to report if they are being forced into the sex industry in the first place since it won’t mean they themselves face punishment. Maybe all across the globe we should be adopting a model similar, one that does not punish sex workers but instead criminalises those who fuel the sex tourism industry, one way or another this needs to find a resolution that prioritises the safety of all sex workers.

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IS YOUR BACKPACK SEXUALLY SAFE? WORDS BY AKSHADA RAWAT Travelling is something that we all love. Everyone wants to experience that feeling of freedom that travel provides, away from all the negative aspects of everyday life. Unbound from the realities of adulthood, responsibilities and inhibitions we let ourselves go. Often a little more than we usually would when in a different country, we are more earnest to try new things and meet new people. While travelling, the most important thing to take care is your own health. When we travel to a new place it increases the risk of getting ill. There is a long list of things we pack when we are travelling, however, how often do you think about what to pack to avoid catching illnesses? Do you pack paracetamol and rehydration sachets? But what about the most important things, do you remember all the things you were taught in sex-ed? We often forget about STIs and contraception, thinking it’s not needed. Although isn’t it best to have these items just in case? Perhaps we all need to be making sure that our backpack is sexually safe. It doesn’t matter if you are sexually active or not but it is best to take care of all the precautions before going and avoid any awkward miming situations in pharmacies where you don’t know the language. The most important thing is to carry is condoms with you. You never know when you may need one. Although you can get condoms everywhere, you should carry a stash just in case. Expiry dates on condoms are also important, so by taking your own, you can be sure they haven’t been tampered with and are ready and safe for use. Also, in some countries, you won’t be able to find condoms very easily. For example, if you go to any small town in India, or rural areas you might not find a pharmacy nearby and would have a long journey ahead of you to find one. You also need to be aware of local sex rules for each country, don’t be the idiot that ends up in the news for having sex in areas of local religious and/or spiritual importance. Assuming you would want to avoid all kinds of sexually transmitted infections, condoms are the only type of contraception that also protect from most STIs. You need to pack everything that will ensure that you have a safe and healthy sex. If you use some kind of medication then make sure you pack it in your bag because you may not able to get them when you travel to another place. Also, keep in mind that they are up-to-date, not expired. For women, these days HPV vaccines are very necessary, as it reduces the chance of cervical cancer in females. It’s always best to go check with your doctor before a trip about the risks of illnesses and sex abroad. As well as practicing safe sex yourself, you need to make sure your partner is trustworthy. Whoever you have sex with, maybe a new person you met on your trip, make sure you trust them and feel comfortable around them. Always tell someone if you are going out, and take care of your drinks. Avoid having sex in public places as you might be more prone towards an infection. It’s time for you to pack your bag… but this time make sure you have a sexually safe bag.

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SEXUALISED ON THE CONTINENT WORDS BY KATE ROWE-BROWN IMAGE BY HERMIONE COOK The first warning I received before embarking on my year abroad, was that French guys loved English girls, and so I should expect a lot of (potentially unwanted) attention. That was just a stereotype of course and I didn’t think much of it, but soon after I arrived, the attention started, and I realised that maybe there was a bit of truth to what had been said to me prior to my departure. This is my personal experience and I am not trying to enforce stereotypes, but merely shed light on the experiences of sexual harassment that I have faced since moving to France.

stop once we got to the station; he invited me to his house and even asked me to kiss him, before finally leaving me be. Being alone in an unfamiliar place, made me feel even more vulnerable and concerned that I was in genuine danger. Many travellers will tell you how going to a new country can make you feel more vulnerable towards these situations of harassment. However, you should not let it put you off travelling or study abroad. Do the same as you would at home, find people and get out of situations that make you feel uncomfortable or vulnerable.

A simple walk to the supermarket can result in being smirked and stared at; a man in a Parisian nightclub tucked my hair behind my ear as I passed him on the dance floor; girls I know living in various other French towns and cities have even mentioned being followed home. These kinds of encounters are not exclusive to France either, a friend of mine working in Spain has been catcalled merely for wearing a skirt and I’ve heard many more stories from all over that just emphasis how universally accepted this unwanted attention is, and of course, for many of us we don’t even need to leave the UK to experience it. The behaviour of these men is totally unabashed; they have no problem walking up to you or shouting at you in the street, whether it appears to make you feel or uncomfortable or not. If I’m honest? They seem to find it funny, whilst I definitely do not.

One thing I want to make clear is that, although my worst experiences of sexual harassment occurred in France, I am not labelling every French man as a pervert. It would be unfair and inaccurate to tar them all with the same brush. But, for me, the problem lies in the fact that this behaviour seems, by many, to be considered as normal. Working in a middle school, where the students range from 11 to 15 years old, I have noticed that, even from an early age, many of the French boys I taught thought it was acceptable to be very forward. Several of them have asked if I have a boyfriend, or if they can have my phone number and add me on Snapchat.

The worst experience I’ve had took place on my third night here, with two young men who stopped me while I was walking by myself and suggested I take the bus instead. Of course, once on the bus, one of them sat next to me (as close as humanly possible, I might add), and the journey mostly consisted of him touching my legs and telling me repeatedly that I am ‘a beautiful girl’. Unfortunately, it didn’t

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Given that boys can behave like this as young as 13, it’s no wonder they do it as adults. This got me thinking about the importance of education when it comes to matters such as sexual consent awareness. If pupils learn how to act respectfully towards the opposite sex early on, perhaps their boyish silliness is less likely to turn into more serious, intimidating behaviour towards women in later life. What’s more, this is a lesson which is not only needed in France, but everywhere, including the UK.

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SHOULD A RAPE ALLEGATION RUIN AN ATHLETE’S CAREER IF FOUND INNOCENT? WORDS BY SARAH RENDELL IMAGE BY AVILA DIANA CHIDUME Rape allegations throw any athlete’s career into disrepute. Due to the position they are in, being role models for many, they need to be condemned in order to send the correct message to the public. This means that they lose sponsorship, the places they held within their sports clubs, and their reputations are in tatters. This is something critics completely agree with, for good reason, but what happens if these allegations are found to be false? What if the athlete accused is then acquitted of the crime? A prime example of this in recent times is the footballer Ched Evans. He was accused of raping a woman who was too drunk to consent. However, in a retrial in 2016 Evans was found not guilty, after spending two and half years in prison. Two months after leaving prison he signed a new contract with Chesterfield FC. This proves that his career has not been ruined by these allegations, as he is still able to work in the professional field that he always has. His career has begun to be harmed due to his damaged reputation. There are still many people who believe that Evans is guilty and judge him with this in mind. So in a sense his career is ruined, as instead of being remembered for his footballing skills, like many other footballers such

as Steven Gerrard and Michael Rashford, he will forever be remembered as the footballer accused of rape. Is this fair though? Surely being found not guilty with evidence to support him should be enough for the football community to forget about these accusations. The woman in question should be the one who is judged for sending a man to jail for so long when he was innocent. I do not think an athlete’s career should be ruined due to an allegation being made because if they have proven themselves to be innocent, they should be allowed to carry on with their professional lives as normal. Would someone who is not famous be judged as much as athletes are? The sad reality of this situation is that although they shouldn’t, rape allegations do destroy an athlete’s career. With their reputation being irreparable, brands will not reach out to them for sponsorship and the possibility of getting coaching, commentary or presenting jobs when their sporting careers are over is very low due to the allegations. They, of course, do return to their athletic fields, just as Evans has, so they do still have careers. However the glory and success that comes with being a famous sporting personality is somewhat out of reach now due to what has been said about them in the past.

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SHOULD MAINSTREAM SPORT DO MORE TO PROMOTE SCA AS IT DOES FOR OTHER KEY ISSUES? WORDS BY LISA VEIBER Mainstream sports have been engaging more and more with social issues in the past decades. Indeed, UEFA has campaigned against racism in recent years, making use of its high-profile platforms, including the Unite Against Racism campaign. Also, sports brands have been tackling gender discrimination in advertising by including famous female sports players. Although mainstream sports have been promoting key issues, sexual consent awareness has not yet been addressed by them.

tolerance was framed as the highly ethical and morally pure image of this institution.

First of all, the lack of campaigning for sexual awareness in sport is certainly due to the low participation rates among women and girls. Indeed, according to a study from Funding for Sport, this is caused by many barriers such as lack of time, funding, access to facilities, low selfconfidence, body image issues, expensive equipment and mostly because sport is perceived as a male-dominated culture. Thus, sexual consent awareness often being discarded as womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s matter is not often addressed in male-dominated area.

Yet, sexual abuse is still an issue that needs to be tackled within the sport institution. Indeed, according to the European Commission, between 2 to 22% of female athletes are still forced into sexual activities and female coaches are still experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace. Thus addressing this issue more internally could reform the institution and allow for a greater promotion against sexual abuse.

Yet, it has long been argued rightly that sexual consent awareness matters to all women and men and should be especially addressed in sports. A study from the University of Sport in Oslo pointed out that sexual violence against women and mistreatment of female sports journalists and female fans has been traditionally tolerated for two main reasons.

Still, this image of the sport institution is especially why mainstream sports should promote sexual consent awareness as it will be watched by a lot of people and can influence them. Indeed, while the number of campaigns against sexual abuse have increased throughout the years, they still lack the impact upon the overall individual.

We should not forget that sexual consent awareness is a societal issue and thus should be promoted in each part of society including sport, culture, and education. Still, mainstream sports should be leading the way. It is time for them to address this issue. While some still argue that sport should stay out of politics, the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics were at the edge of a political controversy as Human Rights Watch called for a boycott of the game due to homophobic legislation.

During the 20th century, sport was a site of justifiable male privilege over females, and it was thought the institution of sport should remain apolitical and treat sexual matters as taboo. However it was also pointed out that sexual abuse was ignored in this context and could lead to someone justifying perpetrating those acts. The reason behind this SEXUAL CONSENT & AWARENESS MAGAZINE

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SPORT AND THE PROBLEM OF

‘LAD CULTURE’

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WORDS BY IVAN MORRIS POXTON

‘Lad culture’ has helped normalise behaviour such as sexual harassment and female objectification. Unfortunately, it all too often finds an outlet in university sports societies. ‘Lad culture’ emerged as a British subculture in the 1990s and was defined by respondents to a National Union of Students (NUS) survey in 2013 on the subject as: ‘a group or ‘pack’ mentality residing in activities such as sport and heavy alcohol consumption, and ‘banter’ which was often sexist, misogynist and homophobic.’ While ‘lad culture’ does not normalise rape, it does constitute inappropriate behaviour almost up to that point, allowing misogynistic remarks to be classed as banter and ignorance of respect for a woman’s personal space to be laughed off as mere heavy flirting. Further, it actively encourages excessive drinking and if there’s one thing that blurs lines between sexual consent and non-consent and lets some people lose sensible inhibitions regarding behaviour towards those they find attractive, it’s getting ‘rat-arsed’. Based on some reports, a rat being involved with one’s rear end does not sound too out of place with the worst outlet of ‘lad culture’ in sports societies, initiation ceremonies. In October 2016, The Times broke revelations of shocking initiation practices in university rugby societies which made for uncomfortable reading for the governing body of rugby union in England, the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Among those practices cited included sprinkling chili powder over an individual’s private parts, being blindfolded and having your hands urinated on at Bath University and fishing a dead rat out of a bucket of cider with one’s teeth at Manchester. All this helps condone increasingly violent conduct, leading to either in themselves sexual assault and harassment of women, or making the issue of sexual consent and respecting an individual’s preference to not have sex or physical contact seem trivial.

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Overall, male university rugby teams seem to be the worst offenders in promoting ‘lad culture’. As well as the initiation ceremonies previously highlighted, there was also the infamous LSE male rugby society freshers’ leaflet scandal in 2014 where women were referred to as ‘slags’ and ‘mingers’, while Evening Standard contributor Tom Bradby recently revealed his own traumatic experiences of ‘lad culture’ when he was part of a uni rugby team. With incidents like one NUS respondent reporting that at a sports social one member of the rugby team wore a vest saying ‘Campist Rapist’ on the front and ‘It’s not rape if you say surprise!’ on the reverse, it’s not surprising that the NUS-commissioned report into prevalence of ‘lad culture’ in 2013 concluded that rugby teams were ‘key sites’ for its promotion. The report singles out sport for promoting ‘lad culture’ rowdy behaviour. Among other incidents highlighted was an initiation for a women’s sports team which involved carrying raw fish inside their bras and later eating them, and the British Universities’ Sports recommendation to Athletics Unions in 2004 to do more to tackle humiliating drinking rituals. NUS’s launch in 2014 of a national strategy committee to address the issue provides hope that the problem is being taken seriously. Meanwhile, Portsmouth University students won an NUS award in June for their own efforts to discourage lad culture in their sports teams. The student union launched an 18 monthlong campaign to change cultural practices within sports teams. It seems that their principal strategy was transitioning societies to more non-alcoholic social events and rewarding good practice. Work like that achieved by our Varsity rivals, Portsmouth, is clearly the way forward to prevent sport societies through promulgation of ‘lad culture’ becoming a way of normalising inappropriate behaviour.