The Martlet accepts Letters to the Editor! Letters must be 200 words or less and cannot contain any images, videos, or links. They must be written by an individual (not anonymous) and cannot be authored by a group. If you would like to submit a letter, you may email your submission to edit@martlet.ca along with your full name and phone number.
This letter contains discussion of sexual assault.
A recent court ruling in Italy acquitted an accused sexual harasser because the act lasted less than 10 seconds.
Too often society turns a blind eye to sexual assault and violence. In many ways, the ethos of our culture encourages the use of power over others and disdains vulnerability. So long as contemporary culture reinforces traditional constructs of masculinity, ignores the subjugation of women, encourages silence, justifies violence as an appealing or inevitable expression of power, blames the victim, and enacts oppression in all of its forms, sexual violence will persist.
At the same time, the current clamour on social media, in the press, and in public discourse can give us hope that sexual violence, objectification, subjugation, and humiliation will no longer be tolerated in silence.
This letter was submitted by William Perry.
