Control

In Dress and Humanities class FCSE 3030 we have been discussing the interplay between implicit bias and intimate assault. The words were new to me, but the problems they represented were not. Implicit biases are the attitudes or beliefs that you have that occur on the subconscious level. I had the privilege of completing my internship at CAPSA, which provides shelter and services to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. Prior to starting my practicum I was required to do a 40hr training. Those in charge of the training explained that the first questions sexual assault victims often are asked are: ‘Were you drinking?’ Did you fight back?’ ‘What were you wearing?’ I had never noticed people asking those questions before, but after that training I started hearing it more when stories of sexual assault came up, even from friends I respect. People have a natural tendency to want to feel safe. Discrediting someone’s claim of sexual assault, by finding a way to re-label it as something else, gives them control. They can believe that sexual assault only occurs to people who do something wrong, thus it is preventable and won’t happen to them. It also helps them to feel like it isn’t as big of a problem because they can ‘prove’ that it doesn’t occur as often as people ‘claim’. Most of these biases occur on the sub-conscious level. Becoming aware of you own implicit bias is the first step towards change for your life and those around you.