Feature.

Safe spaces

 

By Sophie Isbister,
Staff Writer

manda Todd’s story

flashes in black
and white across my
screen. Even though
the now-famous video
was posted to YouTube
a month and a half ago,
hundreds of comments
per minute are still
added to the barrage of
condolences, support,
and continued taunts.
The story of Amanda
Todd touches us all. She
was the girl close to a
home, one who could
have been any of us
girls who grew up in the
technological age with
a computer in every
room. Todd’s story,
told painstakingly in
flashcards on the eight-
minute film, ended on
October 10 when she
committed suicide.

In early 2011,
following an increase
of sexual assault on
campus, a Toronto
police officer told
a group of women

12

students at York

University that in order
to deter rape “women
should avoid dressing

like sluts.” The backlash

following this comment
was astronomical, and
created the impetus for
the now-international
SlutWalk, a feminist
rally designed to
address the culture

of slut shaming that
permeates our society.
What do Amanda
Todd and the SlutWalk
have in common? Both
stories take place in
a culture that blames
victims of sexual abuse
and both stories can be
used as examples on
how we can improve
our society. That’s where

my story starts.

Todd committed
suicide in the wake of
a three-year bullying
campaign which started
when, in grade seven,
she flashed a man on
webcam and those
pictures were made
public a year later by
the man. The extent of
her bullying involved

 

  

stalking (both by the
original perpetrator
and then later by her
former classmates),
physical violence, verbal
abuse, and cyber-abuse
on Facebook. And the
abuse continues—
people on the Internet,
complete strangers,
continue to victimize
and victim-blame
Amanda Todd.

In order to unpack
this culture of victim
blaming and slut
shaming, I sat down
with the Douglas
Student Union’s (DSU)
Women’s Liaison Jenelle
Davies, as well as two
student staff members
of the Douglas College
Women’s Centre, Shila
Avissa and Jasmeen
Rahiman. We met in
the New Westminster
campus’ Women’s
Centre, a small-but-
cozy room which boasts
couches, a microwave,
and a library with
academic gender studies
resources as well as
novels. It’s also meant
to be a safe space for