Sexual assault represents the dehumanization of the victim, by the perpetrator, through a lens of stolen or forced power. It is the weaponization of sex with a means to control sex, and by controlling sex (the act of it, the owning of it) the perpetrator establishes themselves as incarnate – one can hardly be any more in their body than during the act of sexual assault. Even in the act of killing another human being the perpetrator is not as manifest as during sexual assault – in killing the exchange is transitory, power is used as force to sever the link between personage and the essence of life. In sexual assault the power is in forcing the victim to exist, to be only their body. It is the stealing of a body for the purpose of sexual gratification. Sexual assault represents the dehumanization of the victim, the ultimate in objectification.
We are in the midst of a cultural shift, we are collectively uncovering the reality that we can combat the atrocious presence of sexual assault by highlighting it as the fault, responsibility, shame and guilt of the perpetrator. We are witnessing a shift away from victim blaming, slut shaming, rape culture, and apologist misogyny. We are in the midst of a transition from 4th wave feminism to the 5th wave – seeing sexual assault of women through a comparative and indistinguishable lens with sexual assault of men. We are witnessing the shift from advocating equality between men and women toward women holding their own power, regardless of how it equates to men.
Sexual assault remains problematic in our culture (1st world and Western), by no means is it reducing or addressed in a way that serves to eradicate it, yet we are beginning to view it as a spectrum. We are acknowledging that sexual harassment is assault, and that it contributes to themes like rape culture and apologist behavior. We are enabling victims to reclaim power by reporting; 4th wave feminism has successfully made use of the internet and social media to move the dialogue into the mainstream. We are acknowledging prevalence and attempting to distance ourselves from associating male sexuality with sexual predators. The ‘boys will be boys’ fallacy is cracking as accountability is given back to men; as it is demanded of men.
As with other civil rights and social justice movements, turning to power and collectively stating ‘NO, we do not accept this, we will not accept this’ is the antidote to tyranny. It is the undoing spell that turns the tide. The power of such movements is undeniable but it is also fragile, as the counter-spell is also turning with sufficient force and attempting to re-tip the balance. We see this with counter-movements like All Lives Matter, we see it with the rise of Far-Right and White Supremacy, we see it in the lack of accountability for male perpetrators of sexual violence within government. We see it where those who hold stolen or forced power flail to retain the imbalance that serves them.
Sexual assault represents the dehumanization of the victim, combating sexual assault is in humanizing the perpetrator – they are part of our society, representative of our culture, living among us. We reduce and address the imbalance of power by forcing them into the open, and disarming them. We return them to being bodies, we make them human beings, not weapons.
We hold them accountable.