About This Blog — Going Public: A Survivor’s Journey from Grief to Action
Written by Dr. Julie Macfarlane, Distinguished University Professor and Professor of Law, University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and sexual assault and abuse survivor. Going Public: A Survivor’s Journey from Grief to Action is also the title of Dr. Macfarlane’s new book to be published by Between the Lines (edited March 2020: this blog and the book were formerly titled Private Grief to Personal Advocacy: Confronting Sexual Violence).
This blog is for survivors of sexual violence, their advocates, and for survivor-advocates. One goal is to support and encourage more people to identify as proud members of the last group! It is also for anyone who wants to understand better what it feels like to be the victim of sexual harassment, abuse or assault, to experience shame and isolation and the fear of not being believed, and to be told over and over to keep quiet and not to speak up. This blog is about breaking the silence and speaking up.
I know how hard it is to talk openly about experiences of rape and sexual assault, and it has taken me four decades to reach this stage in my own story. I have participated as a complainant in a workplace investigation, a civil law suit, and a criminal prosecution.
I believe acknowledging experiences like mine that are shared by vast numbers of silent others is an important step towards a more compassionate, nuanced and realistic public discourse over sexual violence.
For those of you following my work with the National Self-Represented Litigants Project, you will know I have focused most of my academic career on issues and topics that reflect my curiosity in people’s experiences of the law and the legal system. I have been especially drawn to understanding the experiences of individuals and groups who do not see their needs and interests met in the legal system, whether because of poor processes, dominant cultural assumptions, or even the hostile use of power against them.
The changes that I believe are required for legal and workplace processes to enable access to justice for victims of sexual violence reflect my personal experiences as a conflict process specialist, survivor, an activist/advocate, and a legal expert.
Join me in this next stage of my story — and the stories of other survivors, advocates, and survivor-advocates!
