Don’t confuse the issue: women are unsafe because of men

Re: Criminal justice system is failing women, Opinion, Nov. 6.

Hilla Kerner’s article brought to light the argument that we hear time and again when the conversation about sexual assault and rape comes up: not all men. This argument sidelines the issue because the conversation is not about the men who are not wife-beaters or sex-buyers or rapists or pornographers. The conversation is about the men who are, and the men who will commit these crimes in the future.

Men have the privilege of removing themselves from the conversation by saying not all men, while advocating for their innocence and concern for the women in their lives.

Women, however, do not have the luxury of removing themselves from the threat of sexual violence. All women live in fear because being a female means that you are almost guaranteed to experience sexual violence at the hands of men.

From a young age we are warned to protect ourselves, and advised on how to do this with tactics like not walking alone at night, not wearing clothes that make us an “easy target” and carrying a rape whistle. This approach to ending sexual violence needs to change. It needs to move toward holding men accountable for their actions, by realizing and recognizing within the criminal justice system that women are unsafe because of men.

Syllona Kanu, Vancouver