Combatting sexual assaults
New initiative launched by Music P.E.I. targeting violence in province’s music industry
Music P.E.I. has launched a new initiative that will help reduce sexual assaults and gender-based violence in Prince Edward Island's music industry.
The initiative, which is called the Ripple Effect, received $25,000 in funding from the Gender Equity Diversity Inclusion and Community Enhancement Program to carry out the project until June.
Music P.E.I. has already conducted a workshop for its staff as part of the program. The board of directors will hold an online workshop this month with Good Night Out, an organization offering sexual violence prevention workshops.
The workshop will be led by Stacey Forrester, who will provide harm-reduction education, skills and resources to Music P.E.I.'s staff, board of directors, members and community stakeholders.
The initiative aims to empower people with information and skills to combat sexual violence. This will be achieved by encouraging conversations that break the code of silence surrounding these issues and by raising awareness about the prevalence and realities of such violence in the music industry.
Rebecca Ford, co-coordinator of Ripple Effect, said she is a sexual assault victim, and the situations that she found herself in all happened within the music industry in P.E.I. She said it is important for these discussions to be had.
“I think it's really important for people to have these uncomfortable conversations that some people find hard, but it's better to have uncomfortable conversations than have really unfortunate situations happen to people.”
Ford said the program was initiated due to the high incidence of sexual harassment and assaults within the music industry. She cited data from the musical platform TuneCore, which showed that alarming rates of sexual harassment and abuse occur in the music industry, often against women and genderexpansive individuals.
Within the music industry, 34 per cent of women, 42 per cent of trans individuals and 43 per cent of non-binary individuals report being sexually harassed or abused at work
Ford said this data indicates a need for safety within the industry.
She also mentioned that many people are excited to see this program being implemented, as they also recognize the need for it.
“I think there's both a really big need in P.E.I. for this and a really big want for it to be happening," said Ford. "And it's tough stuff to talk about. I'd rather have us having these tough conversations in rooms together, than not be talking about it at all.”
“It’s long overdue,” said Carlie Howell, a musician and co-coordinator of the Ripple Effect project.
The major challenge many people face in the music industry is silence, Howell said. The music industry may seem like a fun and joyful place, but it's not always the case for everyone.
Howell said most times victims of sexual misconduct or harassment are afraid to speak out for fear of being labelled negatively or losing their job. The culture of silence makes it difficult to have open dialogues and bring about change.
“I think that the culture of silence about not being able to talk about these things and not being able to talk about the environments that we've created that allows that to happen, are the challenges that really make it difficult to have open dialogues and change the situation,” they said.
“It's an age-old problem. We haven't specifically really looked at it very clearly or very constructively in the music industry up until this point, and it's visible in what we see out there.”
The next phase of the program will expand to include on-site services at festivals and music venues. This will offer more targeted guidance on providing information to attendees about recognizing warning signs and supporting friends who may be in distress. The goal is to ensure that the community understands the importance of a collective effort in fostering a safe environment for all.