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Learning Points
AFFECTIVE
Personal beliefs before embarking on this project:
Did not have much knowledge about SA and felt that students couldn’t do much to curb the issue of SA.
Did not feel the weight and significance of SA, as we felt quite distanced (like it is just another topic shown in the news)
Felt that survivors have the ability to stop Sa from happening to them but some chose not to fight back
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Renewed mindset after the project
Everyone has a part to play in curbing SA. There are people out there who care for the survivors.
Understands how the problem of SA has affected the survivor on multiple levels (personal, family, societal)
Developed a greater capacity to empathize and advocate for survivors
Deeper understanding of how one’s experience of SA can impact the survivor in the long term (lower self-esteem, trust issues, fear of intimacy)
Have a better understanding of the nuances (e.g. power of the situation, power differences between gender roles) present during assault situations.
Learnt that many times, SA occurs under the ‘rug’, hence many cases are hidden
Learnt that the education on sexual assault was lacking in Singapore, and how it shapes our view of sexual assault
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SOCIAL
Initial Assumptions
Females are more likely to be assaulted, especially when they wear revealing clothes
Younger girls are more likely to be assaulted
Perpetrators are often total strangers
There’s enough support being given to victims of SA
We can’t do much to help this group of people as they are a complex and sensitive community to work with
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What we learnt
SA can happen to anyone, regardless of gender
Circumstantial factors can cause a survivor to freeze and not be able to fight back. This does not mean they consent to the act.
It is more likely that the perpetrator is someone the victim knows
Multiple factors affect the victim’s ability to help seek and report their perpetrator
There are only a few SA advocacy groups, namely AWARE’s SACC. However, they specialise mainly in women empowerment, not solely in SA. Hence, not enough support is being provided for survivors
There is another response to SA called fawning, which is the act of affection towards the abuser to gain their favour.
Sexual assault can vary in direct and indirect ways, e.g. direct may include physical touching and verbal insults. Still, indirect ways can include objectification of the person on the internet (through explicit photographs and stories) and sexual remarks.
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