Are you a victim of sexual violence? Please scroll down to the FYI and resources!
Nations Voice interviewed Guest Speaker, sexual violence expert, ambassador for peace, and nominated for Elle magazine’s “fifty incredible women shaping the country of Africa” Claire McFarlane on the 21st of March. In this interview, we talk with Claire about everything from sexual violence laws and rape culture to discovering one’s sexuality and the importance of self love. https://www.footstepstoinspire.org/about
As it turns out, Europe is behind on sexual violence laws. Some of the best examples of countries with excellent services and legislations include:
Malaysia who have departments specifically for victims of sexual violence (dubbed one stop crisis centres) in every hospital. WHO has recommended other countries follow suit.
Namibia who have enacted a “rape act” which covers all sexual acts without explicit consent including sexual coercion and protects the LGBTQ+ community even though homosexuality is illegal
And South Africa who have special sexual violence magistrates for courts with trained judges and harder sentences on perpetrators
Claire emphasises open conversation as a solution to ending sexual violence. If we can reshape the way we view sexual violence survivors and approach this issue with Claire’s courage, we can create positive change.
Stay tuned! Footsteps to inspire will be collaborating with Nations Voice next September to produce a talk series for teens about teen issues. We will be starting with sexual violence and consent, covering all your unanswered questions from Claire’s workshops with the year 11-13 students, and discussing all that important stuff people rarely talk with teens about.
Additionally, check out the wise_up_guys Instagram page for content about how to stay safe.
An FYI for survivors of sexual violence:
It is never your fault. Period. You must acknowledge this
You’re not alone. Sharing is important. Just telling one person can make a world of difference
If you’re experiencing sexual violence at home, try to figure out a way to be safe from it for a while, and you’ll need an adult to help you deal with it
If you’re not ready to share, start writing things down as evidence
All services must report acts of sexual violence to the police if you are under the age of 16 in Switzerland or 15 in France. If you’re over the age of consent, reporting is not mandatory.
ISG has trained teachers who can help you to deal with this, and report
You can speak out anonymously. See the links below
Claire can answer your questions, give advice. You can even just tell her your story. See the links below
Some resources here:
https://viol-secours.ch/ +41 (0)22 345 20 20 Les femmes, personnes trans*, non-binaires et intersexes dès l’âge de 16 ans, and the LGBTQ+ community!
https://www.ctas.ch/index.php?id=8 For trauma from sexual violence
For minors being/have been abused by an adult(s) +41 22 427 71 50
For minors being/have been abused by a minor(s) +41 22 427 73 30
https://www.victim-support.ch/en/victim-of/sexual-violence/ General resource centre in English
http://centrelavi-ge.ch/ +41 22 320 01 02 Sexual violence or abuse
https://www.avvec.ch/fr For partner abuse 022 797 10 10
(only over phone or telephone due to covid regulations)
Les Resilientes https://lesresilientes.com/ Support groups in france for men and women online in French
1in6.org For men and boys who are victims of sexual assault
Contact Claire: https://www.footstepstoinspire.org/contact-me
Claire’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/footstepstoinspire
Claire’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/footstepstoinspire/
Instagram “Why I didn’t report”: https://www.instagram.com/whyididntreport/
And finally, some lovely photos of Claire:
