A pamphlet given to high school kids as part of an extracurricular self-defense activity suggests “faking it” and “playing the game” by undressing a potential sexual aggressor in order to create an opportunity to get away. A technique that has raised eyebrows several people and has been removed from the document by the author, who promises to correct the situation.
“During a sexual assault, another solution would be to initiate the movement. You can feign interest in your attacker by first undoing his shirt and then his pants. You will then be able to react without him expecting it, because you will create an effect of surprise”, can we read in the six-page brochure which sets out security rules and defense strategies.
This passage really did not please a mother, who sent the brochure to the To have to after it was given to her 12-year-old daughter at the end of an extracurricular activity offered at Collège Mont-Saint-Louis in Montreal. The strategy of “pretend” was approached quickly during the workshop, was not practiced by the young people and the excerpt was not read as is, she specifies.
“It is not easy for you to perform such actions, because it is difficult to cross the barriers of fear. This approach requires a lot of control and composure, but it is an excellent way to get out of embarrassment, ”the document adds.
The training is given by ASA Défense in about ten secondary schools in the greater Montreal area.
“This reading will no longer be done”
The organization’s founder, Marcelin Cantin, who has been offering such workshops since 1997, explained in an interview with To have to that the excerpts come from his book My safety, my freedom. aggression prevention, published in 2014, which contains a large number of practical tips. “When we give the document to young people at the end of the course, we tell them that it is the best gift to give to their mother or grandmother,” he insists.
He points out that the excerpts are not, however, communicated exactly this way to the students. Several topics are covered during these mixed workshops, including bullying, the importance of clearly defining your limits, how to respond to someone who lacks respect, as well as safety rules.
“During class, it almost always happens that a student raises his hand and asks what to do if we can no longer defend ourselves. It opens the door to talk about buddies or blondes who can be potentially violent, he explains. In 85% of sexual assault cases, the victim had already met the person. »
“This is where the situation gets into the ‘fake’ aspect,” he says. He invites the victim to say “stop, I told you no”, followed by “OK, calm down, stop, take it easy”. “And there, there is a relaxation [de la part de l’agresseur]. At this stage, it can create an opportunity to escape, ”he says. The young people are then invited to seek help.
Training will take place on Wednesday at Sainte-Anne College in Lachine, and the excerpt has been removed from the document. “We are going to correct the situation. This document, this reading, will no longer be done,” underlines Mr. Cantin. Following a team discussion, he wishes to articulate it in a way that is more representative of what is said in his class. In its current form, “it’s a text that could be more for an adult who has had an intimate relationship with someone,” he admits.
Mont-Saint-Louis College, for its part, asserts that it was following an email from the To have to that management is aware of the contents of the document. The school specifies that it is an outside organization and that it intends to do “the necessary follow-ups and verifications”.
Several ways to do
There are several ways to resist an attack, several experts point out, and the technique proposed in the document is not rejected by all. On the other hand, “it’s not suitable for young people, it’s not realistic”, thinks Georges Manoli, retired policeman from the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), self-defense teacher with simulated aggression since 1982 and authorized supplier for Compensation for victims of criminal acts (IVAC).
Mr. Manoli teaches in particular “passive resistance”, which he divides into four categories: pretending to be sick; doing something “disgusting”; faking madness; or enter into a logic of hypersexualization and undress the aggressor. “The women I teach are given these options, and 99% of the time they use the strategy of doing something gross or pretending to be sick,” he says. The technique would be to approach the aggressor and cough, and ask him for help: it changes his state of mind. »
On the side of the Montreal Aggression Prevention Center (CPAM), a feminist organization that offers self-defense courses, we think rather than playing the game and feigning an interest goes completely against an approach of ” empowerment (empowerment).
“It’s about sharing verbal and physical tools, so which part of our body we can hit, and where. And what can be done with voice and body language,” emphasizes instructor Beatriz Muñoz. Women are best served by choosing the response technique they prefer rather than following a specific, immutable protocol, she says. “All people are different. They have different strengths, different personalities and different experiences. It is a process where women discover their strength and regain control of the situation. »
The document is considered problematic by the Regroupement québécois des centers d’aide et de Lutte contre les aggresses sxueles (RQCALACS), which has a prevention program in secondary schools. “It really makes the person responsible for a potential attack,” says Justine Chénier, communications manager. “It’s problematic because it’s as if we were getting the person who is going to be attacked to consent to it, by pretending. »