The Association for Struggle Against Sexual Violence, one of our Turkey’s Changemakers from season 10, launched Switch It! campaign which aims at contributing to the media’s adoption of non-violent and rights-based approach, raising societal awareness and proliferation of consent culture.
In a collaboration with figures who have a gender equality perspective and are known by the public including Ayça Damgacı, Berrak Tüzünataç, Ceren Moray, Esra Dermancıoğlu, Hasibe Eren, Laçin Ceylan, Seyhan Arman and Tülin Özen, said Switch It to the wrong beliefs about sexual violence, the language and the approach that nurtures these beliefs.
With this campaign, the message was given to the public is that in order to prevent sexual violence, individuals and institutions from all segments of the society should be able to understand the importance of preventive activities by taking this problem seriously, and take responsibility for transforming the language that legitimizes sexual violence.
With the campaign launched for the transformation of the perception in the society regarding sexual violence, which is a public health problem; it is aimed to raise awareness in the society and not to being unresponsive to violations of rights in collaboration with the people widely recognized in the public who can make a certain opinion in a social sense.
What is sexual violence?
Sexual Violence; defines all kinds of actions, behaviors and interventions that the person or people make; involving threats and attempts towards sexuality without consent, by constructing consent, or the cases in which it is not possible to obtain consent.
What are the types of sexual violence?
Contrary to common knowledge, sexual violence can occur in many different situations other than rape, harassment and sexual abuse. These can be directed towards an individual or to a group. Examples of sexual violence against individuals can include sexual harassment which may take place in the private or public sphere, all unwanted verbal or physical behavior, sexual abuse or sexual violence, or sexual violence by those who have first-degree blood ties, flirting violence, harassment that can take place in digital or public space, mobbing at workplaces, peer bullying, and all other forms of sexual violence by professionals. The forms of sexual violence against the masses can be listed as sexual abuse by marrying children, compulsory sterilization surgeries for trans-people, sexual violence against men, correction rapes against lesbians, sex assignment surgeries applied to intersex; cheering involving sexual violence that degrades women, homosexuals, different races and cultures in football; curses and rituals, sexual abuse of animals, prevention of access to birth control methods, prohibition of abortion by law or de-facto, war rapes, sexual violence against the disabled.
How should we defend against sexual violence?
To carry out a struggle for a sustainable reduction of sexual violence in Turkey; along with all known and little-known forms of sexual violence and social dynamics that nurture sexual violence, it is necessary to carry out awareness studies that ensure the transformation of social perception concerning sexual violence and sexual abuse; and supporting the survivors and those who serve them. Demands which are a human right violation such as execution and castration, which are voiced after every incident of sexual violence that creates anger in society and, are not a solution to prevent sexual violence. It is necessary to focus on the conditions that create violence for the solution, to enable the creation of democratic social demands, to prevent impunity, to ensure that individuals and institutions face their responsibilities and system, and to carry out awareness studies for the individual transformation.