❊ Why I Support The Demonstration Against Rape on January 14

In a previous post, I argued that civil right groups and feminists are focusing on the wrong target by campaigning for legislation in parliament against marital rape. Many have interpreted this as me saying that their civil action on January 14 against rape is futile and not worth the trouble.

— It’s time —

Far from it. I think we should all go to that event, tell everyone we know to join us, and most important of all, try to convince our mothers to join. Why? Because in my opinion this is not a protest for political ends, this is a watershed demonstration against denial and stigma in our society.

This is important because generally people in Lebanon and men especially are in denial over the existence and scope of rape. If faced with it, they tend to blame the woman for being indecent or scantly clad and brush the entire issue under the carpet. This in turn creates stigma in women against “admitting” that they were raped or harassed, because all they’re getting from speaking up is embarrassment and shame.

But if men see people of all stripes, young, old, married, single, men and women loudly protesting against rape, they will start reconsidering their assumptions and questioning their denial. The media will start talking and politicians will start testing the waters for votes. Most importantly, the victims will start gathering their courage and talking more about their predicaments in public.

But none of this will happen if the demonstration is not sizable and impressive. This is why it’s so important that we show up. The truth is everyone is in danger: The modest and the floozy, the veiled and the bare, the young and the old. These are our daughters, sisters and mothers. It is time for all of us to speak up..

Do this now: Spread the message, and join the demo.