The Slut Walk - Cape Town

In January this year, a Canadian police officer told a self-defense class that one way of avoiding being ‘victimised’ was to not ‘dress like a slut’. His victim-blaming words spurred a group of women to action. On 3 April, almost 4 000 women, men and children took to the streets of Toronto and marched on police headquarters under the banner of ‘Slutwalk’. The aim of Slutwalk is to change the conversation around sexual assault and strip the word ‘slut’ from its demeaning connotation. After all, any woman can fall victim to sexual violence, whether dressed in track pants or mini-skirts; whether they’re virgins or sexually promiscuous.
From the website: ‘Being assaulted isn’t about what you wear; it’s not even about sex; but using a pejorative term to rationalize inexcusable behaviour creates an environment in which it’s okay to blame the victim.’ The Canadian protest march has created 70 satellite ‘Slutwalks’, with a South African chapter being the latest addition. The provisional dates for the local Slutwalks are 20/ 27 August for Cape Town and 27 August for Johannesburg. The local organisers want to rally South Africans to do something to change ‘rape culture’ and victim-blaming.
Stay updated on dates and events around Slutwalk Cape Town and Slutwalk Johannesburg by joining the Facebook groups or email organisers at slutwalkjhb@gmail.com and slutwalkcapetown@gmail.com.
Image from www.weheartit.com
Tags: ELLE South Africa, The Female Factor