Mythbusting Monday: Certain groups are more likely to commit sexual abuse
Today’s Mythbuster is an editorial by CCASA Executive Director Danielle Aubry which was printed in the Calgary Herald on Saturday, April 3, 2010.
Mythbusting Monday: Sexual violence is only a women’s issue
A South African student leader was convicted of hate speech for saying that a woman who had accused the South African president of rape had had a “nice time”. He was ordered to pay a $7,000 fine and write a detailed apology. The people who brought the suit against the youth leader was Sonke Gender Justice – […]
Mythbusting Monday: Victims carry some of the blame for their sexual assault
A recent study by The Havens, a sexual assault referral network in England, uncovered that victim-blaming societal attitudes toward sexual assault victims haven’t changed much. According to the study, youth are more likely to place some blame on survivors for their sexual assault. Additionally, women were more likely to assign blame than men. Victim-blaming presents […]
CCASA Executive Director quoted in the Calgary Sun
CCASA Executive Director Danielle Aubry was recently quoted in the Calgary Sun regarding the longer sentence imposed on a Calgarian who trafficked in child pornography. The term child pornography is an inadequate description – these are not simply images of naked children, they are images of child sexual abuse. To understand what this issue involves, read […]
Mythbusting Monday: I can tell by looking who is a sexual offender
Ask any child, and they’ll tell you, monsters are easy to spot. They’re scary and hairy and smelly, and hide under the bed. Even as adults, we cling to this idea that people who would do us harm are easy to recognize. We truly believe we can protect ourselves, if we just keep a look […]
Mythbusting Monday: It’s unusual for people with disabilities to be sexually assaulted.
A recent case in Lethbridge shows that this simply isn’t true. In fact, studies show that people with disabilities are at least 1.5 times more likely to be sexually abused than those without disabilities (Canadian Council on Social Development, 1988). The reasons for this are fairly straightforward – people with disabilities are often more vulnerable than […]
Mythbusting Monday: People should disclose abuse/assault in order to help stop the perpetrator.
Two recent studies from the University of Montreal have come out regarding disclosure behavior of childhood sexual abuse survivors. The first investigated how long it took the average child sexual abuse survivor to disclose their abuse, and the reasons why they may choose to stay silent. The second looked at survivors who delayed disclosing childhood […]
Mythbusting Monday: Because women fantasize about rape, they secretly enjoy it.
A recent case in the United States has underscored just how willing people are to believe this myth to be true. A marine posed as his ex-girlfriend on Craigslist, and placed an ad looking for “a real aggressive man with no concern for women.” He provided a man who responded to the ad with her address, […]
Mythbusting Monday: Sexual harassment is about sexual attraction
Newsweek published an article about the increased reporting of male-on-male sexual harassment. They correctly point out that harassment has nothing to do with the sexual orientation of the perpetrators – the majority of whom are heterosexual – and everything to do with the abuse of power and control. Sexual harassment is intended to intimidate and humiliate […]
Mythbusting Monday: Intoxication is a defense for sexually assaulting someone
The media has widely reported that Eric Tillman had been intoxicated by over-the-counter medications before committing the sexual assault he pled guilty to. As a result of the medication, Tillman was described as being “definitely not himself” on the day of the assault, and acting “loopy.” This information creates the impression that his act was defensible, […]
