Not fighting Isolating Gender Violence means not fighting Gender Violence

SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES:

• Vidu, A., Puigvert, L., Flecha, R., & de Aguileta, G. L. (2021). The concept and the name of Isolating Gender Violence. Multidisciplinary Journal of Gender Studies, 10(2), 176-200. https://hipatiapress.com/hpjournals/index.php/generos/article/view/8622
• Madrid, A., Joanpere, M., de Botton, L., & Campdepadrós, R. (2020). Media Manipulation Against Social Justice Researchers: Second-Order Sexual Harassment. Qualitative Inquiry, 26(8-9), 983-988. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1077800420938853 (JCR Q1 in 2019; Scopus Q1 in 2019)
• Flecha, R. (2021). Second-Order Sexual Harassment: Violence Against the Silence Breakers Who Support the Victims. Violence Against Women. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1077801220975495#_
• Melgar, P., Geis, G., Flecha, R., & Soler, M. (2021). Fear to Retaliation: The Most Frequent Reason for Not Helping Victims of Gender Violence. International and Multidisciplinary Journal of Social Sciences, 10(2), 31-50.
• Banyard, V. L., Moynihan, M. M., Walsh, W., Cohn, E. S., & Ward, S. (2010). Friends of survivors: The community impact of unwanted sexual experiences. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 25(2), 242–256.
• Coker, A., Bush, H. M., Fisher, B., Swan, S. C., Williams, C. M., Clear, M. R., et al. (2016). Multi-college bystander intervention. Evaluation for violence prevention. Am. J. Prevent. Med. 50, 295–302. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2015.08.034.

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COMMENT:

There is evidence supporting the following statement: in order to overcome gender-based violence, there is a need to overcome the existing Isolating Gender Violence (IGV), meaning, that kind of harassment suffered by those who support direct victims. Survivors need support in order to break their silence and keep forward. Thus, to defend those supporting becomes crucial to struggle against sexual violence.

I was the first to complain against the most repeated offender at my university for sexual harassment. I suffered revictimization and retaliation for that. More than a dozen victims went through the entire process of this complaint. What helped me and other victims most was the support we received from other professors and brave colleagues. Everybody who supported us suffered some kind of attacks and backlashes. Two years after the hard process of the complaint, testifications, and victimization, we created the Solidarity Network of Victims of Gender Violence at Universities so that no other victims will be left without support.

Much progress has been made in addressing sexual harassment in different spaces. We will not end sexual harassment until we do not end IGV. There is no way back, even if sometimes it is difficult to take a personal commitment, this is necessary as one of the slogans of this international struggle states: “bystander begins by you”.

OTHER SOURCES:

• Dziech, B., & Weiner, L. (1990). The lecherous professor: Sexual harassment on campus. University of Illinois Press