Speakout at the State Library
(These photos are frames from video footage, so not the best …)
Flanked by banners calling for “A world without sexual assault” and the declaration “Consent is Asking & Listening, Verbally and Non-verbally” people gathered in a large circle on the lawns outside the State Library to share feelings and experiences.
The callout which brought them together, as well as much else, can be found on the website:
http://communitiesresponsetosexualassault.wordpress.com/ - here is part of it:
“We want a day of action calling for community response to sexual assault. We are calling for support for survivors of sexual assault, and a process of community response that prioritises their needs, safety and healing. We are calling for processes that try to change the underlying myths and power dynamics that lead to assault, before it happens. We want processes that deal with perpetrators in a way that challenges their beliefs and behaviours, and gets them to take responsibility for their actions and for trying to change.
“This day is about healing and empowerment of survivors and supporters. It is about saying that dealing with sexual assault is important, and that we all need to work together in our communities to make that happen.”
Considering the importance of the issues the response of Melbourne’s activist community woud have to be described as disappointing, though it seemed from the words of one speaker at least that she was not surprised, with hard words indeed for the ‘anarchist and punk’ community. Proceedings began - after a lunch provided by the wonderful people from Food not Bombs -
with some of the organisers reading a statement, followed by an open mic for those who wished to share their stories or viewpoints:
and ended with a group reading based on Andrea Dworkin’s 1983 address “I Want a Twenty-Four Hour-Truce During Which There Is No Rape,” (www.icasa.org/uploads/dworkin.doc).
More later, hopefully with video.
Links:
http://www.worldwithout.org/
(contact via worldwithout@post.com)
http://communitiesresponsetosexualassault.wordpress.com/
13 December - video now on EngageMedia:
http://www.engagemedia.org/Members/pc/videos/ida1dec07engage.avi/view
