Kate Ravenscroft – whose important piece on violence against women I published here on the 100th year celebration of International Women’s Day – and her colleague Mel
Hughes of Poetry 101 would like MTR blog readers to know about a new publication they are putting together for survivors of sexual assault. It’s such an important project, filling a significant gap. If you are a survivor and would like to be part of it, please get in touch with Kate and Mel.
Dear Melinda,
We would like to invite you to support a publication that we are compiling as a resource for victim/survivors of sexual assault.
The aim of the publication is to provide those affected by sexual assault – both the immediate victim/survivors and those connected to them, whether they be friends and family or support services like the police or legal and medical professionals, but also the wider community (as we believe that the entire community is affected by sexual assault) with a resource that contains the voices and experiences of actual victim/survivors, in their own words, on their own terms.
As victim/survivors ourselves we feel keenly the absence of a genuine, open and safe dialogue around sexual assault in the world about us. We are only too aware of how rare it is to hear the voices of victim/survivors and of how hard it remains to speak openly and honestly about sexual assault.
The focus of the zine is really on surviving – on what it means, how to do it, that it can be done, that it is an act of courage and value etc. We want the zine to be both a practical guide to how to survive assault and a positive valuation of survivors and the task of rebuilding a life in the shadow of sexual assault. Something that people can pick up and feel that it is possible. Something that helps people to understand how extraordinarily resilient and courageous survivors are. We are heroes. I believe that and I believe that when the world recognises this, instead of turning to victim blaming, we’ll be a lot closer to eradicating sexual violence altogether.
We are inviting contributions from anyone who has experienced sexual assault on any perspective of their survival that they wish to discuss. Contributions can take any form and are requested by 31 July 2011.
We hope that the final publication will be an approachable, user-friendly publication that will provide readers with a genuine understanding of what it means to survive sexual assault. We are in discussions with organisations including CASA regarding the printing and distribution of the publication. We aim to distribute it as widely as possible.
Further information can be found here. Enquiries can be directed to: wewillnotgoquietlyzine@gmail.com
In anticipation of your support, thank you.
Warm regards,
Mel Hughes & Kate Ravenscroft
Editors
WE WILL NOT GO QUIETLY:
A zine for survivors of sexual assault
Because our voices demand to be heard
