(Montreal) As part of the five-year existence of the #metoo global whistleblowing movement, various community organizations came together on Saturday to denounce the lack of inclusivity and resources offered to victims of sexual assault during a conference of press at the House of Deaf Women of Montreal.
Posted at 5:44 p.m.
The deputy coordinator of the National Institute for Equity, Equality and the Inclusion of People with Disabilities (INÉÉI – PSH), Maude Massicotte, testified to the inaccessibility of the #metoo movement, in particular for women with disabilities.
Although these women are two to three times more likely to suffer a sexual assault, they still do not have access to sex education or adapted resources, explained Ms.me Massicotte.
Data from the 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability (CIS) revealed that people with disabilities represent more than 16% of the Quebec population. Yet women in this group remain “absent from any government statistics and studies on sexual violence,” she said.
PHOTO FROM ALTEREGO.CA
Maude Massicotte, Deputy Coordinator of the National Institute for Equity, Equality and Inclusion of People with Disabilities
According to the demands of the INÉÉI – PSH, the #metoo movement must be more inclusive, particularly with regard to its documentation. For people who, for example, communicate by Quebec sign language (LSQ) or who have an intellectual disability, information on sexual violence is little or not accessible, thus making them more vulnerable.
Women and girls with disabilities face many obstacles in accessing services that are adapted and able to accommodate them, which increases the risk that sexual violence will continue.
Maude Massicotte, Deputy Coordinator of the National Institute for Equity, Equality and Inclusion of People with Disabilities
Line Bergeron, Executive Director of the Maison des femmes sourdes de Montréal (MFSM), also underlined the lack of knowledge of some people with disabilities regarding their sexuality, their bodies and their rights, which often stems inappropriate sex education.
“For example, during a violence prevention activity [dans une école]we were surprised to find that young people in the 13-14 age group did not know the definition of the terms “victims” or “aggressor”, whether in French or in LSQ,” said Ms.me Bergeron.
In addition to denouncing various issues related to sexual violence, the media event aimed to recognize the hard work of the “Youth voice counts” group. The group, made up of young racialized women aged 11 to 24, has been mobilizing for more than five years to fight this issue in Quebec schools.
Although she denounces the shortcomings of inclusion, Maude Massicotte affirmed to fully support the movement, which she considers more important than ever. “We strongly believe that this action must be inclusive and allow girls and women with disabilities to benefit from all rights and resources on an equal footing with others,” she concluded.
Various organizations, such as the Regroupement québécois des centers d’aide et de Lutte contre les Agresses sxueles (RQCALACS), the Network for Peace and Social Harmony and the Movement for Schools Free of Sexual Violence (MESVS) were also involved. the party to demonstrate the urgency of the situation.
This article was produced with the financial support of the Meta Fellowships and The Canadian Press for News.