The annual sexual violence solidarity walk, Slut Walk, is returning after a two-year hiatus due to COVID, reports RÚV.
The march will start at Hallgrímskirkja on Saturday at 14:00 and then march down to Austurvöllur. The march aims to remind people that responsibility for sexual violence lies with the perpetrators, not the victims.
Druslugangan, the organisation that runs Slut Walk, campaigns against sexual assault and rape culture through educational activities.
“By having this summit of solidarity with survivors, we can all come together and show that we believe and stand with survivors or sexual assault,” says Slut Walk organiser Sara Mansour.
The first Slut Walk took place in Toronto in 2011 after a police officer told a university class that women need to dress modestly to avoid sexual violence. These words perpetuate rape culture and the systematic sexual violence against women and minority groups. This first Slut Walk sparked several others across the world.
Sara says that she believes Iceland is moving in the right direction regarding sexual violence. She says that people are becoming less tolerant of misinformation.
“Like most civil rights movements, we’re generally moving in the right direction, although of course there are setbacks from time to time,” Sara says. “There is less tolerance for the misconception that survivors could do something differently or should live their lives based on someone else’s decision to violate their trust.”
Over the last few years, and especially since the start of the pandemic, a lot of discourse has move online. However, Sara believes there is no substitute for standing together in solidarity in person.
“No matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what you’ve been through, we’re all there together. I don’t think you can transfer that to cyberspace,” says Sara.
Learn more about the Slut Walk here.
If you or someone you know needs support regarding sexual violence, you can find resources here.
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