[Sexual assaults occur more often at large gatherings in the summer months, according to research. PHOTO: Refinery 29 UK]



On the last weekend of June, eight women were treated for sexual assault at Ottawa Hospital. Six of them were under 20, two or three of the attacks occurred at festivals and the others happened at parties before festivals.

They weren’t isolated incidents. Sexual assaults have been reported at music festivals around the world: Bravalla Festival in Sweden over the weekend, Electric Zoo in New York, Made in America Festival in Philadelphia, Reading and Glastonbury Festivals in the U.K. and Craven Country Jamboree in Saskatchewan.

Most people associate summer festivals with music and fun, but activists say they can also be the site of sexual assaults and that festivals aren’t doing enough to prevent them.

“Sexual violence is an issue that festival organizers desperately need to address,” Shannon Giannitsopoulou, co-founder of the activist group Femifesto, tells Yahoo Canada News.

The eight sex assaults in Ottawa is quadruple the usual number, the Ottawa Citizen reported. Ottawa police said they were investigating nine or 10 reported sexual assaults from that July 25-26 weekend, including one alleged to have occurred at the Escapade dance-music festival at the Rideau-Carleton Raceway.

The statistics are alarming considering the summer months in Canada mean lots of similar festivals and parties to come.

Research done by Dr. Kari Sampsel, director of the sexual abuse and partner abuse care program at Ottawa Hospital, supports the idea that sexual assaults occur more often at large gatherings in the summer months.

Sampsel’s research, done two years ago, showed that there are peak periods for sexual assault: Canada Day, university frosh weeks, Halloween, New Year’s and summer festivals.



In studying the data from more than 200 sexual assaults, she found that more than a quarter of them happened at large gatherings like festivals and holiday parties. The survivors were often young, intoxicated and unfamiliar with their attackers.

And odds are the true numbers are even higher than reported, during peak times and otherwise. The number of reported sexual assaults is assumed to be much lower than actual because most are never reported to police, according to Statistics Canada.

“We know that most sexual assaults are not reported to police, but a quick online search will reveal the many stories being shared by survivors about the sexual violence that was enacted against them at summer festivals,” Giannitsopoulou says.

Keeping everyone safe



“Assaults happen at festivals, but they happen in other places too,” Kira-Lynn Ferderber, project lead of Project SoundCheck, tells Yahoo Canada News. “One difference is that at festivals, there are all these people standing around who can potentially notice what’s going on, and step in to prevent violence.”

Activists like Ferderber and others say the festivals themselves can do more to prevent sexual assaults, and to provide support for survivors when they do occur.

“I do believe that when festivals happen there is a way that organizers can take to the stage and engender respectful behaviour, just like encouraging people to drink water on a hot day,” Kevin Vowles, community engagement manager with White Ribbon, tells Yahoo Canada News.

The messaging can be as simple as reminding attendees that everyone is sharing a confined space so it’s important to respect each other’s bodily autonomy, Vowles says.

“Festival organizers could also take a hard and clear line and indicate to participants that sexualized violence will not be tolerated and encourage people to report if they experience it or see it,” he says.

Sidrah Ahmad, a member of Femifesto, agrees and says organizers should make attendees aware of where to report sexual assault if they experience or witness it, and how bystanders can intervene.

“Festivals should partner with campaigns against sexual violence that are happening across Canada like Draw the Line and give free booth and table space to these campaigns to bring their materials,” Ahmad says.

Empowering people to intervene when they see something that looks dangerous is important, Ferderber says.

“Sometimes we see something dangerous at a big event and think someone else will do something, so we don’t have to,” she says. “The truth is, everyone can play a role in preventing sexual violence. It can be as simple as walking up to someone you are worried about and asking them how they are doing.”

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