Column Council: Better Anonymous Victims than People of Color

A person is a sympathetic victim who deserves help cause. How much should survivors of sexual assault have to sacrifice to fit this mold?For women of color (WOC), It can mean hiding core parts of your identity in order to be treated.

Take advantage of the anonymity afforded by the automaticban on the identity of victims of sexual crimesfor all sexual assault victims. There are many reasons, but WOC has an additional factor. Victims remaining anonymous can escape identity politics and outright racism, which can otherwise affect public support and media coverage of their cases. Being an anonymous sexual assault victim seems like a better option than being a person of color.

It entails placing in the position of In a state where only 67% of the populationstrongly agree that racism is "horrible" (the lowest in the country), many identify with victims of color is too much. Being a victim of unavailability of racial identity is essentially like being given the benefit of the doubt that comes with white privilege. And in states where the population is overwhelmingly white, those who remain anonymous are generally presumed to be white by default.

But remain anonymous Being there comes at a cost. Fundamentally, anonymity goes hand in hand with silence, and for the WOC, where attacks are often the result of organizational and social imbalances, it can also mean erasure. If you choose the anonymity you were given as a survivor, you can't talk about the role race and other minority identities play. important role.

Violence against marginalized people occurs in layers of oppression. WOCs that are survivors of such attacks can attest to their reality.However, WOCs cannot expect to receive the necessary public scrutiny. Especially given that theexisting systemis ill-equipped to support survivors and simply educate whites.

Racism and prejudice still persist, although the highly popular Prime Minister has called out the existence of systemic racism in the state. Refusing to acknowledge.

Systems and existing social prejudices need to change, and one of the main drivers of this shift in public attitudes must be the media. Given Canada's history of racism, it is unfortunate that issues related to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) continue to be underrepresented in both the media and activism, but they are justifiable. That's it.

News reports also tend to humanize and empathize with anonymous white victims more than BIPOC. (Yes, Joyce Echacan received sympathetic press coverage, but livestreaming her ordeal and her death didn't allow her story to be ignored or taken lightly.) Distorted reporting based on victims' identities is well documented around the world.Our local newspapers are not exempt. For example, the Montreal Gazette joined many other Quebec newspapersin publishing multiple articles on, the Simon Hallincident Added commentary for . } , while the victims remain completely anonymous, the Gazette recently identified black and indigenous women who were recently coerced and coerced in Quebec after being exposed by Radio Canada's Enquete in September 2021. did not address the sterilization of This seems like a good case.

Houle's justification for helping victims shows that Quebec citizens may have a say if the issue is deemed worthwhile. I'm here. Meanwhile, there has been little public outrage over the fertility treatment of dozens of Black and Indigenous women in the state.

Sepideh Afshar is senior editor for the McGill Tribune's opinion and sports section.THis column is the result of a collaborative discussion with other current or recent student journalists participating in this four-week Montreal Gazette Column Council seriesthey78} Renaud Chicoine-McKenzie is, Sophie Dufresne, Monique Kasonga,Dima Kiwan and Gabriela Vazquez London86}

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