This morning just past 10:30 am TCDSU (Trinity College Students’ Union) ‘bombed’ the Junior Dean’s office with shredded paper that contained students’ confessions regarding their sexual assault or rape experiences. Additionally, a body with the message “stop protecting rapists” was hung up on the Office door.
The action comes as part of a series of escalations to mark Sexual Assault Awareness Month. On Tuesday, effigies labelled “rapist” were hung in the Arts Block and the Hamilton Building along with a box where anonymous confessions could be dropped.
Led by TCDSU Welfare Officer Hamza Bana, wearing a “Kill your local pedophile” t-shirt, the group covered the front door of the Junior Dean’s Office with various confessions regarding rape and sexual assault, with messages such as: “I hate rapists” or “Disgusting, mine is being glorified and awarded by the College because I was too scared to report him, and now he can walk free.”
The action ended with Bana declining a group picture in front of the door, stating that “ the idea is that anyone can do this.”
Speaking about the effigies used to convey the message of the Union regarding rapists, the Welfare Officer said, “Of course, it invokes like violent imagery, and it’s a massive shock factor. But I feel with rape, you have to be equally as shocking. We are past the point of having you guys listen to us. We are now grabbing you by the ears for your attention.”
When asked why the SU have chosen the Junior Dean’s office specifically Hamza stated that, “they are the active perpetrators of protecting rapists, whether just by asking invasive questions, by having the investigation be 10 months long, maybe longer, even though they said it’s gonna be a month long.”
Further adding that, “throughout the entire process, the survivor is kept out of the loop as to where the process is going or what stage they are in the process. The entire process is traumatic as well, because the survivors are constantly asked to recount exactly what happened to them. It’s extremely traumatic for the student.”
Responding to a question asking about the goals of this action and campaign, Bana stated that the goal is “a complete overhaul of the Sexual Misconduct Policy, and the Dignity and Respect Policy” as they are currently “literally word for word, the exact same”.
Speaking to the University Times about said policy overhaul, Bana stated that he feels any changes will be “more so down the line” as “right now, the main goal is to have it [the Sexual Misconduct Policy] completely overhauled, like taken away, because it is not sufficient. It does not work at all. It does not protect survivors at all. There’s more protections in place for the rapist than or for the perpetrator. So our main goal right now is to get rid of that and then go build from the ground up.”
Since the action, TCDSU have released a letter to the Provost detailing their demands The Union have informed The University Times that a meeting with a Provost took place with TCDSU President Jenny Maguire regarding this issue some time ago – but did not clarify what was discussed at the meeting. In the letter, they state their dissatisfaction with the way the Sexual Misconduct Policy is worded currently, as well as with the fact that survivors are not allowed more than one ‘support person’ through the duration of the investigation. The Union’s demands are:
“A complete overhaul of the Sexual Misconduct policy, which prioritises the well-being of the survivors of Sexual Violence
A reform of the manner in which bullying allegations related to Sexual Misconduct are handled.
A removal of any and all delays throughout the investigation process with greater transparency between all parties as to which stage the investigation is in.”
