Preventing Sexual Violence: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Overcoming a Rape Culture

228 Pages·2014·1.133 MB·English

by  Nicola Henry, Anastasia Powell (eds.)

Preventing Sexual Violence
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Preventing Sexual Violence
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Overcoming
a Rape Culture
Editedby
Nicola Henry
SeniorLecturer,LaTrobeUniversity,Australia
Anastasia Powell
Lecturer,RMITUniversity,Australia
Editorialmatter,introductionandselection©NicolaHenryand
AnastasiaPowell2014
Individualchapters©Respectiveauthors2014
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-35617-8
Allrightsreserved.Noreproduction,copyortransmissionofthis
publicationmaybemadewithoutwrittenpermission.
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Theauthorshaveassertedtheirrightstobeidentifiedastheauthorsofthiswork
inaccordancewiththeCopyright,DesignsandPatentsAct1988.
Firstpublished2014by
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Preventingsexualviolence:interdisciplinaryapproachestoovercomingarape
culture/editedbyNicolaHenry,AnastasiaPowell.
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Summary:“Globally,ratesofsexualviolenceremainunacceptablyhigh,with
disproportionateeffectsonwomenandgirls.Whilemostscholarsandpractitioners
uniformlyconcuraboutthescopeoftheproblem,thereiscurrentlylittleagreement
abouthowtopreventsexualviolencebeforeitoccurs.Drawingondiversedisciplinessuch
ascriminology,education,healthpromotion,law,psychology,socialwork,socio-legal
studies,sociologyandwomen’sstudies,thisbookprovidesthefirstinterdisciplinary
collectionontheprimarypreventionofsexualviolence.Thevolumeaddressesthekey
causesordeterminantsofsexualviolence,includingculturalattitudes,values,beliefs
andnorms,aswellassystemicgender-basedinequalitiesthatcreatetheconditions
underlyingmuchviolenceagainstwomen.Includingcontributionsfrominternationally
renownedexpertsinthefield,thevolumecriticallyinvestigatesthetheoretical
underpinningsofpreventionwork,describingandanalysingthelimitsandpossibilities
ofprimarypreventionstrategies‘ontheground’.Thechapterscollectivelyexaminethe
rolethatstructuralviolenceandgenderinequalityplayinfosteringa‘culture’of
sexualviolence,andreflectontherelationshipbetweenmacroandmicrolevelsfor
understandingbothsexualviolenceperpetrationandprevention.Thisbookwillbeakey
resourceforscholars,practitionersandpolicymakersinvolvedinthefieldsofsexual
violenceprevention,education,law,familyviolence,andchildsexualabuse.Including
contributionsfromVictoriaL.Banyard(UniversityofNewHampshire,USA),AlisonCares
(AssumptionCollege,USA),MoiraCarmody(UniversityofWesternSydney,Australia),
GillianFletcher(LaTrobeUniveristy,Australia),WendyLarcombe(Universityof
Melbourne,Australia),ClaireMaxwell(UniversityofLondon,UK),MaryM.Moynihan
(UniversityofNewHampshire,USA),BobPease(DeakinUniversity,Australia)andAntonia
Quadara(AustralianInstituteofFamilyStudies,Australia).”—Providedbypublisher.
ISBN978–1–137–35617–8(hardback)—ISBN978–1–137–35618–5(paperback)
1. Sexcrimes—Prevention. I. Henry,Nicola,editorofcompilation.
II. Powell,Anastasia,editorofcompilation.
HV6556.P7482014
364.4—dc23 2014022099
Contents
ListofTables vii
Acknowledgements viii
NotesonContributors ix
1 FramingSexualViolencePrevention:WhatDoesItMeanto
ChallengeaRapeCulture? 1
AnastasiaPowellandNicolaHenry
2 TheorisingMen’sViolencePreventionPolicies:Limitationsand
PossibilitiesofInterventionsinaPatriarchalState 22
BobPease
3 TheEverydaynessofRape:HowUnderstandingSexualAssault
PerpetrationCanInformPreventionEfforts 41
AntoniaQuadara
4 LimitsoftheCriminalLawforPreventingSexualViolence 64
WendyLarcombe
5 TheDarkSideoftheVirtualWorld:TowardsaDigitalSexual
Ethics 84
NicolaHenryandAnastasiaPowell
6 ThePreventionofSexualViolenceinSchools:DevelopingSome
TheoreticalStartingPoints 105
ClaireMaxwell
7 JustHowDoWeCreateChange?:SitesofContradictionandthe
‘BlackBox’ofChangeinPrimaryPrevention 127
GillianFletcher
8 SexualViolencePreventionEducatorTraining:Opportunitiesand
Challenges 150
MoiraCarmody
9 TakingStockofBystanderProgrammes:ChangingAttitudesand
BehavioursTowardsSexualViolence 170
AlisonC.Cares,MaryM.MoynihanandVictoriaL.Banyard
v
vi Contents
10 ShiftingUpstream:BystanderActionAgainstSexismand
DiscriminationAgainstWomen 189
AnastasiaPowell
Index 208
Tables
5.1 Strategiesforpreventingtechnology-facilitatedsexualviolence
andharassment 98
10.1 Behavioursviewedas‘ever’acceptable(e.g.,‘rarely’,
‘sometimes’or‘always’) 198
10.2 Hypotheticalself-reportedreactiontowitnessingsexismor
discriminationintheworkplace 199
10.3 Hypotheticalself-reportedreactiontowitnessingsexismor
discriminationwhensocialisingwithfriends 200
10.4 PercentageoftheVictoriancommunitywhoreported
takingaction 201
10.5 Factorsthatfacilitatebystanderactionagainstsexism,
harassmentanddiscrimination 203
vii
Acknowledgements
Bringing together this unique collection on sexual violence prevention has
been a thoroughly rewarding and enriching process. Although the origi-
nal impetus came from an Australian 2011 colloquium we organised as
co-founders of the Violence and Discrimination Against Women Research
Network(VDAWnet)(kindlyhostedbyVicHealth),wesoonrealisedtheimpor-
tance of a broader, international collection that critically investigates the
theoretical frameworks underpinning much primary prevention work on sex-
ual violence, as well as the limits and possibilities of prevention programmes
and approaches that are happening in practice. As such, our collection brings
together internationally renowned scholars in the field who come from a
diversearrayofacademicdisciplines.Althoughinterdisciplinarycontributions
arearguablymoredifficulttoedit,inthefieldofsexualviolenceprevention,it
seemstousthatitwouldbeimprudenttotacklesuchapervasiveandsystemic
probleminanyotherway.Wewouldliketothankeachofourauthorsfortheir
tremendousworkonthisbook;forrespondingsograciouslytocriticalfeedback
onearlierdrafts;andoverall,forprovidingtheknowledgeandexpertisethatwe
hope will make this collection a significant contributionto the growing fields
ofprimarypreventionandgender-basedviolence.
We would like to express our gratitude to Julia Willan and Harriet Barker
fromPalgraveMacmillan.BothJuliaandHarriethavebeenaconstantsourceof
enthusiasmandgenerositythroughoutthebook’sjourney–wethankthemfor
theiradvice,guidanceandsupport.Wearealsoverygratefultotheanonymous
reviewerswhoofferedinvaluablesuggestionsforthescopeandcontentofthe
book.ThanksalsotoSusieElliottforhermagnificenteditorialassistance.
Finally, we would like to thank our families, friends and colleagues for
theirlove,supportandencouragement.Inparticular,enormousthankstoour
wonderfulpartnersBrentCollettandMatthewWeston.
This book is dedicated to our respective ‘boy children’, Frederick and
Alexander, and to our (perhaps unrealistic) hope that they will grow up in a
worldwhereviolenceandinequalityarenotallowedtoflourish.
viii
Contributors
Editors
Nicola Henry is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics, Philosophy
and Legal Studies at La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Her research
isfocusedonsexualviolenceandvictimisationdiscourseinbothinternational
anddomesticcriminaljusticerealms.HerbookWarandRape:Law,Memoryand
Justicewaspublishedin2011.NicolahaspublishedinjournalssuchasViolence
AgainstWomen,theInternationalJournalofTransitionalJusticeandSocial&Legal
Studies.SheisChiefInvestigatorwithDrAnastasiaPowellonamajorresearch
projectontechnology-facilitatedsexualviolenceandharassment.
Anastasia Powell is Lecturer in Justice & Legal Studies at RMIT University,
Melbourne,Australia.Herresearchhasspecialisedinpolicyandpreventionof
violenceagainstwomen.HerpublicationsincludeherresearchmonographSex,
Power and Consent: Youth Culture and the Unwritten Rules (2010). Anastasia also
contributestoresearchbygovernmentandnon-governmentagenciestoinform
policyandpracticeinthepreventionofviolenceagainstwomen.
Contributors
Victoria L. BanyardisProfessorintheDepartmentofPsychologyattheUni-
versity of New Hampshire (UNH), USA, and is also a member of the Justice
Studies Program faculty. She is a research consultant with Prevention Innova-
tions,aresearchdevelopmentunitatUNHfocusedonresearchandpracticesfor
endingviolenceagainstwomen.Shereceivedherdoctorateinclinicalpsychol-
ogywithacertificateinWomen’sStudiesfromtheUniversityofMichigan,USA.
ShecompletedherpostdoctoralresearchfellowshipattheFamilyResearchLab
atUNHandpostdoctoralclinicaltrainingattheTraumaCenterinBoston.She
regularly teaches courses on interpersonal violence and community change.
Dr Banyard conducts research on the long-term consequences of trauma and
interpersonal violence, including factors related to resilience and recovery
among survivors. She also has a programme of research on bystander inter-
ventionasaframeworkforpreventionofsexualandrelationshipviolence.Her
researchalsofocusesonthedevelopmentofevaluationtoolsforunderstanding
bystanderattitudesandbehavioursrelatedtosexualandrelationshipviolence,
includingwhatmotivatesorinhibitsbystandersfromsteppingintohelp.She
ix