Library and Academic Services: Gender Studies for Health Professionals: Gendered Violence

Gendered Violence

The Facts about Gender-Based Violence (Canadian Women)
At the Canadian Women’s Foundation, our vision is for all women in Canada to live free from violence. Women in Canada live at greater risk than men of domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, and sex trafficking.

Why domestic violence victims don't leave | Leslie Morgan Steiner

Leslie Morgan Steiner was in "crazy love" -- that is, madly in love with a man who routinely abused her and threatened her life. Steiner tells the dark story of her relationship, correcting misconceptions many people hold about victims of domestic violence, and explaining how we can all help break the silence. (Filmed at TEDxRainier.)

Entilli, C. (2017). When the woman gets violent: the construction of domestic abuse experience from heterosexual men’s perspective. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(15-16), 2328–2341.
Media attention and prevention programmes relating to domestic violence have mainly focused on women as the victims and men as the perpetrators. The underlying idea is that violence is predominantly physical and a prerogative of men. This conceptualisation of violence reduces the opportunities for the consideration of different modalities of abuse.
A year in review 2018-2019: Canada's strategy to prevent and address gender-based violence. (Status of Women)
Women and Gender Equality Canada works to advance gender equality through an intersectional gendered lens. Working in partnership with key stakeholders, including civil society organizations, labour groups, the private sector, other orders of government, and First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples, the Department actively promotes the inclusion of all people in Canada’s economic, social, and political life.
Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence
Announced in June 2017, It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence is the Government of Canada’s response to gender-based violence (GBV). It builds on current federal initiatives, coordinates existing programs and lays the foundation for greater action on GBV.
Umeed, M. (2013). Understanding domestic abuse in men. Practice Nurse : the Journal for Nurses in General Practice, 43(10), 37–.
The article focuses on domestic abuse among men in Great Britain. The government of Great Britain defines domestic abuse as any incident or threatening behaviour, violence or abuse between adults who are or have been intimate partners or are family members, regardless of gender or sexuality. Data suggest that one in six men suffered some kind of domestic abuse since the age of 16. An overview of the findings of Brian Dempsey's research on behalf of the Abused Men in Scotland is provided.
Walsh, S. (2015). Global understandings of domestic violence. Nursing & Health Sciences, 17(1), 1–4.
Violence that occurs in intimate partner relationships covers a range of terms, including “domestic violence”, “domestic abuse”, “spousal abuse”, “battering”, “intimate partner violence”, “family violence”, and “dating abuse”. This article outlines the historical development of these terms; reviews key debates in relation to definitions; and finally, discusses implications for research and health practice in the field.
Nayback-Beebe, Y. (2012). The lived experiences of a male survivor of intimate partner violence: a qualitative case study. Medsurg Nursing, 21(2), 89–95; quiz 96.
The purpose of this phenomenological qualitative case study, analyzed using Colaizzi's (1978) method, was to gain a holistic understanding of the lived-experience of a male victim of intimate partner violence and the real-life context in which the violence emerged.

Women and gendered violence in Canada : an intersectional approach by Bruckert, Chris; Law, Tuulia
Location: ebook

Publication Date: 2018

Violence against women is usually framed as an issue of interpersonal violence perpetuated by men. While domestic violence and sexual assault are significant social problems, such a narrow framing obscures the diversity of women’s experience, fails to illuminate the role social structures play, and excludes discussions of workplace and state violence.

This book is not currently available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.
Violence Against Women: Myths, Facts, Controversies by Walter S. DeKeseredy
Publication Date: 2020

This ebook offers a passionate but well-documented sociological overview of a sobering problem. He starts by outlining the scope of the challenge and debunks current attempts to label intimate violence as gender neutral. He then lays bare the structural practices that sustain this violence, leading to a discussion of long- and short-term policies to address the issue. DeKeseredy includes an examination of male complicity and demonstrates how boys and men can change their roles. Throughout, he responds to myths that dismiss threats to women's health and safety and provides an impassioned call to action for women, men, and policymakers.

Role of the Nurse in Gendered Violence

Ali, P. (2018). Gender‐based violence and the role of healthcare professionals. Nursing Open, 5(1), 4–5.
Academics, researchers, practitioners and millions of people from around the world participated in the violence against women campaign that ran from 25 November—International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women—to 10 December—Human Rights Day. The campaign called “16 Days of Activism against Gender‐Based Violence” is an annual event that connects these two important dates and reminds the world that violence against women is a human rights issue.
Charmaine Power. (2017). Domestic Violence: What Can Nurses Do? Alabama Nurse 44(4), 18–20.
It is now 30 years since domestic violence first began to emerge as a significant issue. Initially efforts focused on ensuring safety for women and children fleeing violent partners. ...
Roush, K. (2015). Intimate partner violence: You CAN make a difference! Reflections on Nursing Leadership, 41(4), 1–2.
“I just wanted [the police] to take pictures of my face, and I just wanted it on record … and they said that they had to go arrest him. Well, I knew that was gonna piss my husband off. And it did. I had a restraining order, but that night he was in my bedroom standing over me naked with a knife.”
Get help with family violence (Department of Justice)
A list of Canadian services to assist with family violence.

Perpetuation of Rape Culture

Rape myths
What is sexual assault? Sexual assault is any form of unwanted sexual contact or activity performed on a person with any object or body part without consent or by force. ...
A Life Of Rape Culture | Brynne Thomas | TEDxYouth@TCS
Brynne’s talk was the winning presentation of her Equity and Social Justice class at Trinity College School. Using personal anecdotes, Brynne addresses the issues with society’s perspective on the topic of rape culture, and urges us to take action.
Zacharias, J., & Scruby, L. (2019). Addressing pornography, part 1: Harms on individuals, families and society. Canadian Nurse.
Access, anonymity, and availability of free online pornographic material have been identified as the most significant factors in increased consumption of pornography, and negative health impacts on the individual, families, and society have been strongly associated with pornography use.
Cotter, A., & Savage, L. (2019, December 5). Gender-based violence and unwanted sexual behaviour in Canada, 2018: Initial findings from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces. Statistics Canada.
Measuring gender-based violence is complex. The victims—and even the perpetrators—may not themselves perceive the motivations for the incident as being rooted in social structures and systems, which can serve to produce and reproduce gender inequality and gendered violence across many dimensions. Because of this, asking about gender-based violence directly in a survey may not lead to accurate findings or conclusions....

Tea Consent

Warning: Explicit language

Getting the facts (Sexual assault support services)
Understanding the prevalence of sexual assault in our community is important, here are some statistics to understand the nature of sexual violence
Carr, M., Thomas, A., Atwood, D., Muhar, A., Jarvis, K., & Wewerka, S. (2014). Debunking three rape myths. Journal of Forensic Nursing, 10(4), 217–225.
Stereotypes and prejudicial misconceptions are prevalent regarding sexual assaults and victims' responses. These are collectively referred to as rape myths. This study examines three rape myths purporting that sexual assault victims
Zacharias, J., & Scruby, J. (2019). Addressing pornography, part 2: Implications for nursing practice. Canadian Nurse.
The topic of pornography creates moral tension; however, it fits the criteria for a public health issue, making it a health issue first, with secondary moral implications. A gap exists in addressing this issue from a health care perspective. The CNA Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses was built on values such as striving to be informed of social issues that affect health and well-being and advocating for change.

Yes Means Yes!: Visions of Female Sexual Power and A World Without Rape by Jaclyn Friedman; Jessica Valenti
Publication Date: 2008

In this groundbreaking new look at rape edited by writer and activist Jaclyn Freidman and Full Frontal Feminism and He's A Stud, She's A Slut author Jessica Valenti, the way we view rape in our culture is finally dismantled and replaced with a genuine understanding and respect for female sexual pleasure. Feminist, political, and activist writers alike will present their ideas for a paradigm shift from the "No Means No" model--an approach that while necessary for where we were in 1974, needs an overhaul today...

This book is not available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.
Preventing Sexual Violence: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Overcoming a Rape Culture by Nicola Henry (Editor); Anastasia Powell (Editor)
Publication Date: 2014

While there is much agreement about the scope of sexual violence, how to go about preventing it before it occurs is the subject of much debate. This unique interdisciplinary collection investigates the philosophy and practice of primary prevention of sexual violence within educational institutions and the broader community.

This book is not available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.

Reimagining masculinity; my journey as a male sexual assault survivor | Landon Wilcock | TEDxQueensU

As a survivor of sexual assault, Landon came to view his life as one broken into many pieces. He offers a unique perspective on how we can move forward as a society in dealing with not just male survivors but all victims of sexual assault.

Bretz, A. (2014). Making an Impact?: Feminist Pedagogy and Rape Culture on University Campuses. English Studies in Canada, 40(4), 17–20.
On the one hand, one has to approach the topic without reinforcing the patriarchal systems that make rape possible, such as fear, and, on the other hand, one has to avoid eliding the lived experience of a large portion of our student population. Fear doesn't allow students to bear witness to the fact that the way that we see rape working in a given text is largely...
Maxwell, S. (2013). A review of the role of radical feminist theories in the understanding of rape myth acceptance. The Journal of Sexual Aggression, 20(1), 40–54.
Research into rape myth acceptance (RMA) first emerged in the 1970s, when authors such as Brownmiller (1975) and Burt (1980) proposed that rape was a mechanism that allowed men to exert power over women and that the endorsement of rape myths justified this sexual dominance. These influential theories have meant that subsequent definitions of rape myths have failed to acknowledge male victims of serious sexual assault, ...

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Feminine and Masculine Sexual Responsibility

Harding, K. (2015, September 17). We demand that women live in fear and behave impeccably to avoid 'asking for it.' The Guardian.
In an extract from her book, author Kate Harding explains how women order their lives around the fear of rape – and of being blamed for not preventing it
Harding, K. (2018, January 20). The intergenerational feminist divide over #metoo is both painful and necessary. Think.
The current feminist moment is becoming marked by, among other things, an excess of intergenerational disrespect on all sides. Just in the last week, 78-year-old Margaret Atwood painted herself as the victim of a witch hunt by younger feminists, and 22-year-old writer Katie Way condescended mightily to veteran CNN journalist Ashleigh Banfield, because Banfield treated another young self-identified feminist shabbily on the air.
Hoff Sommers, C. (2017, November 26). A panic is not an answer: We're at imminent risk of turning this #metoo moment into a frenzied rush to blame all men. New York Daily News.
The fall of Harvey Weinstein and other celebrity sex monsters feels like a cultural turning point. The social contract between men and women is being rewritten before our eyes. There is a new resolve to make the workplace more respectful and equitable for women - for everyone. But there is also panic in the air, which could ruin this #metoo moment.
Valenti, J. (2013). In rape tragedies, the shame is ours. The Nation (New York, N.Y.), 296(18), 10–.
It's been just over a month since two high school football, players in Steubenville OH, were tound guilty of raping an unconscious teenage girl. One of the young men, Trent Mays, was also found guilty of sending pictures of the assault to friends. Since then, the media have been gripped by two more incidents in which young women were gang-raped at parties and had pictures of their attacks distributed on social media.
Jackson, J. (2015). The Toxic Effects of “Rape-Culture Feminism.” New Oxford Review, 82(5), 32–.
The article discusses the negative impact of feminism and rape culture in the U.S. Topics include the growing number of sexual assault against women in colleges and universities, the legality of same-sex marriages in the U.S., and a joint study conducted by the nonprofit organizations Center for Public Integrity and National Public Radio (NPR) related to the issue.

Asking for It: The Alarming Rise of Rape Culture--and What We Can Do about It by Kate Harding
Publication Date: 2015

In the era of #metoo, a clear-eyed, sharp look at rape culture, sexual assault, harassment and violence against women--and what we can do about it. "A timely and brilliant book." (Jessica Valenti) Every seven minutes, someone in America commits a rape. And whether that's a football star, beloved celebrity, elected official, member of the clergy, or just an average Joe (or Joanna), there's probably a community eager to make excuses for that person. ...

This book is not available through OneSearch, but you can request it through our Inter-Library Loan service.

James is Dead

Whether it's murder or sexual assault, it's not the victim's fault.