This past weekend, SAPAC volunteers took part in their semester Continuing Education. This gives opportunities to returning volunteers to learn about topics related to SA/DV, stalking, and sexual harassment that are not normally taught during training. This semester, volunteers heard presentations about Batterer Intervention Programs and Mail Order Brides.
During the Batterer Intervention Program presentation, the presenter claimed that "a relationship can never be equal" and that "once a man hits his wife, every time they engage in sexual intimacy he is actually sexually assaulting her."
What do you think of his claims? What do you think of batterer intervention programs?
Voice your thoughts below!
In terms of these claims, it is unfortunate that the speaker could not clarify his points during the presentation. A volunteer asked a question about his stance on how sex after being battered is sexual assault, and his answer to the question was yet another question. Thus, the attendees were more confused. I believed that although there is a clear power differentiatial between a batterer and his wife, I still think it is possible for them to have consensual sex; we do not know everyone's private relationship, and so I don't think we have the power to make these types of generalizations.
ReplyDeleteperhaps the presenter was implying that the prior abuse would in a sense "force" the abused party to always give consent to sexual activity for fear of the potential repercussions of refusing consent. even if the abusive partner is no longer abusive, the fact that he or she is capable of abuse could always linger in the back of the abused partner's mind.
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming this was David Garvin?
ReplyDelete