Reykjavík Grapevine - 15.07.2011, Blaðsíða 8

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8
The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2011
In the past three months, people
across the world have united in a
global protest against stereotypi-
cal ideas that the victims of sexual
assault are somehow to blame for
the attack. From the U.S. to India,
SlutWalkers have gathered on the
streets bearing with posters that
read: “Don’t tell me how to dress,
tell men not to rape!”, “It’s my hot
body, I do what I want!” and “My
short skirt has nothing to do with
you!”
The message is simple: A person’s outfit
doesn’t matter—rape is never, ever ‘jus-
tifiable’! The movement has hit Iceland
and the country’s first SlutWalk will
take place in downtown Reykjavík on
July 23, where attendees are encour-
aged to join hands and protest the way
sexual assault victims are frequently
treated and portrayed by society.
A SLUTTY DRESS IS NOT AN
INVITATION!
The first SlutWalk was held in Toronto
this April as a response to comments
by an officer in the local police force,
who remarked at a law school’s safety
forum: “[...] women should avoid dress-
ing like sluts in order not to be victim-
ized.” The protest quickly turned into
a worldwide movement and rallies
have been staged in cities across the
globe.
Controversial remarks in the Icelan-
dic media, on blogs and in community
forums have caused similar outrage.
Inspired by the Toronto SlutWalk, the
organisers of SlutWalk Reykjavík were
fed up with the common view that vic-
tims of sexual assault bear responsibil-
ity by putting themselves in dangerous
situations because they are too drunk
or dressed in revealing clothes. What
started as an invite-only Facebook
group now counts almost 4.000 mem-
bers and has sparked a heated discus-
sion on the issue.
Helga !órey Jónsdóttir, Rósa
Björk Berg"órsdóttir and María Lilja
!rastardóttir are part of the SlutWalk
organisational team. Over beers, they
tell me that victim-blaming is still very
real in Icelandic society, and an empha-
sis is often put on the way the victim is
dressed or how much alcohol or drugs
he or she has purportedly consumed.
They are therefore planning to hit the
streets and demand a change in the
discourse.
“Our main goal is to transfer the re-
sponsibility from the victim to the per-
petrator. We want people to erase these
prejudices within themselves [of victim
responsibility],” says María, emphasis-
ing that victims should never have to
feel ashamed or blame themselves. The
way a victim chose or chooses to dress
should not be relevant. “I saw a very
strong image from one of the walks that
really struck me. There was a woman,
dressed in a casual outfit, holding up
a poster that read: ‘This is how I was
dressed when I was raped. Was I ask-
ing for it?’ Rapists don’t think about the
way their victim is dressed and I don’t
think they would even remember after-
wards.”
VICTIM-BLAMING IS NEVER OK
Helga !órey, María and Rósa say they
are tired of the common perspective
that women should learn to be more
careful when going out, and the way
sexual assaults have often be defend-
ed by attacking the victim’s charac-
ter. “Women are taught how to avoid
being raped. Not to dress like a slut.
Avoid getting too drunk, and so on,”
says Rósa. She refers to an ad cam-
paign by The Public Health Institute of
Iceland where people are advised not
to consume alcohol in order to avoid
being assaulted or raped. “It’s remark-
able that these ads never say ‘if you
drink too much, you might rape your
friend.’ That’s somehow taboo,” she
adds. “Rape is a serious problem in our
society. One third of Icelandic women
are sexually assaulted in their lifetime!
What is with that?” says Helga !órey
and continues: “Women are more likely
to be raped by someone they know,
inside of a marriage for example, than
attacked by a stranger while drunk at
a party.”
With the July 23 march, the organ-
isers hope to eradicate victim-shaming
in Icelandic society, and they hope
everyone out there will join them to
walk for the cause. The march is set to
start at Skólavör#uholt at 2pm and will
head down Skólavör#ustígur, down to
Ingólfstorg where people can gather
and listen to speeches and live music.
Asked what they want to achieve with
the SlutWalk María says: “If we can
change some views, we will be happy.
I look forward to reading the news after
Verslunarmannahelgin this year [Ice-
land’s annual bank holiday, set in the
first weekend of August, marked by
numerous outdoor festivals around the
country]. It’s been terrible to read com-
ments in the press in the past, like ‘the
festival was successful this year. Only
two rapes have been reported.’ ONLY
two rapes? I mean, what needs to hap-
pen for a festival to have ‘gone badly’?
Someone getting killed? If we can
change the way media reports about
this, then we have achieved some-
thing,” concludes María.
SlutWalks around the globe have
been widely covered, and images of
women dressed down to their under-
wear with the word ‘Slut’ scribbled on
their bosom published in the interna-
tional media. However, the three wom-
en emphasise that there is no dress-
code and anyone should wear what
they want. “I think we will see people
from all walks of life, not just twenty
girls dressed in slutty outfits. Iceland-
ers can be very unified when they want
to be,” says María. “You should wear
whatever you want, or not wear any-
thing even. That doesn’t give anyone
the right to rape you. I think we can all
agree on that. That’s the whole point,”
says Rósa.
Until victims are no longer blamed
or shamed, they plan on making Slut-
Walk Reykjavík an annual event and
continue the protest, one step at a time.
Do you condone rape and/or engage in 'victim blaming'? If so, you
are probably a total douche. Quit being so douchy, douche!
The author just happens to be director of
the ‘Yes Movement’ in Iceland.
Fancy that!
Iceland | Problems
IT’S REALLY EASY: JUST DON’T RAPE PEOPLE!
Words
Steinunn Jakobsdóttir
Photography
Garry Knight / Julia Staples
Icelandic ‘sluts’ march against victim-shaming
If a woman is drunk, don’t rape her.
If a woman is walking alone at night,
don’t rape her.
If a woman is drugged and uncon-
scious, don’t rape her.
If a woman is wearing a short skirt,
don’t rape her.
If a woman is jogging in a park at 5
am, don’t rape her.
If a woman looks like the ex-girlfriend
you’re still hung up on, don’t rape her.
If a woman is asleep in her bed, don’t
rape her.
If a woman is asleep in your bed, don’t
rape her.
If a woman is doing her laundry, don’t
rape her.
If a woman is in a coma, don’t rape
her.
If a woman changes her mind in the
middle of/about a particular sexual
act, don’t rape her.
Opinion | Elvar Örn Arason
Icelanders:
Still Reluctant Europeans?
Icelanders can be described as
"reluctant Europeans" akin to
their Scandinavian neighbours.
Denmark, Finland and Sweden all
joined the EU and have to a greater or
lesser extent participated in the EU's devel-
opment. Iceland and Norway, though, have
stayed outside the EU, yet have close relations
with the EU since 1994 through their member-
ship of the European Economic Area (EEA).
Until the meltdown of its banking system in
the autumn of 2008, the Icelandic political elite
was still far from eager to join the EU, happy
with the halfway house of the EEA. But when
the international financial crisis hit, not only
did Iceland’s oversized banking system come
crashing down, its currency plunged instantly,
with devastating effect. Many soon decided to
opt for the safe haven in European integration.
The present left-wing coalition government,
which came to power after the ‘Pots and pans
revolution’ of 2009, applied for EU member-
ship.
Iceland’s contribution to the EU will be
substantial. Iceland belongs to Europe, and
has contributed significantly to the common
European cultural heritage. During the Cold
War era, Iceland was strategically and geopo-
litically part of the American continent, and of
the European security community’s frontiers
extended to Iceland when the U.S. formally
closed its military base there in 2006. And
when Iceland joins, the EU as a whole will gain
access to the Arctic and the strategic shipping
routes that are opening up with the melting of
the ice cap. Iceland will also contribute its sub-
stantial expertise in sustainable fisheries and
geothermal energy.
There are striking similarities between Ice-
land and Norway in their attitudes towards the
EU and European integration. In common they
have the political importance of farming and
fisheries, and an "Atlanticist" orientation cou-
pled with their interests in natural resources.
The Icelandic economy’s key sector has
long been fishing, still the largest generator of
exports. Its importance is diminishing though,
from 90% of all exports in the 1960s to less
than 40% now. Exports of aluminium overtook
marine product in 2008. But because fisheries
have been the source of disputes with some
EU members, notably the UK, ceding control to
Brussels as the EU’s Common Fisheries policy
will be sure to provoke fierce debate and some
popular resistance to accession.
Other than that, there stand obstacles in
the way of Iceland's EU membership bid. From
the European side, that is. As to Iceland itself,
both public opinion and the political parties
are still divided on the question. Public opinion
has become more negative since the summer
of 2009, once the banking crisis had begun to
recede in peoples' minds. During the previous
decade public opinion about joining the EU
had been more positive, with the polls show-
ing majority support. But the Icesave dispute
between Iceland and the UK along with the
Netherlands re-kindled negative sentiments
towards the EU, so last December’s outline
deal for reimbursing British and Dutch inves-
tors, who had online Icesave accounts with
the collapsed Landsbanki bank, appears now
to leave fishing rights as the main stumbling
block, not least because of Iceland’s escalating
mackerel dispute with the EU and Norway.
Helga !órey Jónsdóttir, one of the organisers.