This qualitative study draws on intersectionality, antiracism, and anticolonialism to unpack the long history of colonial violence in the mental health and social service fields, such as counselling, victim services, social work, and child and youth care. In addition, this thesis explores and interrogates the use of narrative therapy by white and Indigenous sexualized violence practitioners who work specifically with Indigenous girls and women. Narrative therapy is a non-individualistic and non-pathologizing approach that has shown potential with Indigenous girls and women. However, while it holds promise, how sexualized violence practitioners interact with narrative therapy and critical frameworks is less known. In this study, experienced practitioners were asked how they draw on narrative therapy and critical frameworks, how they grapple with narrative therapy’s complicity in colonial violence, and how they resist, contest, and reproduce colonial violence in their own practice. Three themes emerged from the interviews: (1) narrative therapy as useful but not enough; (2) deconstructing and unsettling narrative therapy; and (3) smuggling practices and double practice. Discussion of these themes demonstrates and explores the complex and multifaceted issues practitioners are engaging with in their practice and suggests great promise for a future narrative therapy that involves critical frameworks and attends to body, ethics, accountability, and ongoing colonial violence. / Graduate

Sexualized violence is a citizenly issue. It is a phenomenon that, in the Canadian context, is formed and informed by the settler-colonial nation-state. Yet, as the spike in attention to instances of sexualized violence in news media suggests, sexualized violence is also a sociopolitical ill, one that causes harms to persons who experience it and those who care for them. How, then, might we ensure that sexualized violence is no longer a possibility? Feminist anti-sexualized violence advocates have created or contributed to several identifiable approaches to sexualized violence prevention: education about consent, teaching self-defence, and implicating bystanders in the continuation of sexualized violence. In this dissertation, I focus on two of these approaches to sexualized violence prevention – consent discourse and fighting strategies – and consider how their amenability to a normative form of rationality that governs conceptions of citizenship – neoliberalism – might not only limit the preventative efficacy of such approaches, but also work to (re)produce the very conditions that allow sexualized violence to occur in the first place. Analyzing these prevention approaches through close readings of academic theories of prevention and practical mobilizations of these approaches (i.e. a poster campaign, a short independent film), I ultimately argue that while neoliberalism’s idea(l)s of individualism, personal responsibility, and normative interpretations of ‘equality’ function to potentially limit or contradict a feminist anti-sexualized violence goal of emphasizing the structural causes of sexualized violence, it is also the case that these theoretical and practical projects can produce alternative understandings of what it means to be ‘human’ and to ‘live together.’ / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Today, one can scarcely turn on a television, open a newspaper, or visit an online news source without some mention of a case of sexualized violence. What are we doing to prevent this social ill? In this dissertation, I analyze two approaches to sexualized violence prevention: strategies that encourage the import of communication during intimate encounters (consent discourse) and strategies that encourage persons most vulnerable to sexualized violence to engage in defensive measures (fighting strategies). Through an investigation of academic theories and practical mobilizations of these prevention approaches, I consider their connection to dominant conceptions of the human and what it means to ‘live together.’ From these analyses, this dissertation ultimately argues that we must be attentive to the ways we think about, talk of, and implement prevention strategies so that we do not inadvertently reproduce the very oppressive conditions that enable sexualized violence to occur in the first place.

Sexualized violence continues to threaten the autonomy of individuals and violate human rights. Scholars debate the effectiveness of international treaties in addressing this problem. The Convention on Elimination and Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) of 1979 requires ratifying countries to uplift equality and denounce discrimination of women nationally, in public and private spheres. Examining Bosnia and Herzegovina as a case study shows the effectiveness CEDAW has in creating political and social change. In addition, the Bosnian War illustrates the threat sexualized violence has on individual autonomy. Findings show that CEDAW and grassroots feminist activism are successful together in advocating for social and political change. These results support the power of international treaties when combined with grassroots support for the cause. Over time, social change is possible as a consequence of international jurisprudence, which will help end sexualized violence globally, one individual at a time.

In this thesis, I reflect on the ethical and theoretical foundations of researching (and re-searching) sexualized violence with Indigenous girls in remote communities in northern British Columbia, Canada, through a project called Sisters Rising, an Indigenous-led, community-based research study focused on centering Indigenous teachings related to sovereignty and gender well-being. Through an emergent methodology drawing from witnessing and borderland feminisms to conduct arts- and land-based workshops with girls and community members, I sought to unsettle my relationships as a diasporic frontline worker to the communities and lands I work with. To disrupt traditional hegemonic discourses of settler colonialism, I look to arts-based and collective witnessing, reflecting on how alternative, safer spaces for Indigenous girls can be created for resistance and (re)storying connections to land and relationships. / Graduate / 2020-09-12

In this dissertation, teenagers (13-19 years) are allowed to speak out. The purpose of the study was to gain knowledge regarding the conditions related to socialization in the proximity of violence through listening to, interpreting and attempting to understand the teenagers' narratives about life when violence is an everyday occurrence. Primarily, I wanted to obtain a picture of the conditions under which these girls and boys grew up as they themselves described them. My questions are primarily concerned with the teenagers' experiences of violence in the home, the strategies they used to cope with a violent home environment and finally with their self-images. Secondarily, my intention was to analyze and interpret the picture that emerged in an attempt to understand the meaning of socialization in the proximity of violence, primarily based upon theories of sexualized violence (aspects of gender and power), coping, resilience, and the social heritage of violence-related behavior (the inter-generational transmission of violent behavior). My purpose was also to relate the descriptions and analysis of domestic violence, and the associated conditions under which these young people grew up, to previous research within the field of family violence. The dissertation is grounded in feminist theory which views the gender and power relationships between women and men as a determining principle of social organization. I associate this with the established Scandinavian concept of "sexualized violence," used to describe forms of abuse and sexual exploitation such as rape, incest and other sexual assaults, pornography, the sex trade and sexual harassment. Fifteen teenagers living in Sweden volunteered to be informants for the study. They were interviewed six to ten times each over a four year period. The interviews progressed in steps from background information to the most private and sensitive questions about the violence which had taken place in the home. The number of interviews was determined case by case; the interviews were concluded when no or few new aspects emerged. The analysis is based in part upon the categorized statements and in part upon the longer narratives. The results show that the young people exist in the presence of violence as witnesses to and victims of violence perpetrated by their fathers. The children are threatened into silence and bear inner feelings of powerlessness and loneliness. They are regarded as different in school, bullied by peers and disregarded by adults. In this double victimization, the children feel themselves to be unwanted and worthless. If the child breaks the secrecy and seeks help, he or she experiences utter betrayal, foremost from social authorities. The lack of protective factors and insightful adults is nearly total. The very essential contact with peers has also been denied them. The children feel themselves to be completely abandoned. Using their own resources, they yet manage to formulate their thoughts, create meaning in events and become survivors. / digitalisering@umu

The Ministry of Child and Family Development (MCFD) plays a critical role in creating assessment tools, producing policies endorsing ‘best practices’, assuring and alleging equity and safety in its child welfare practices that affects the lives of vulnerable children in government custody. Regardless of their efforts, reports of sexual violence against children in government custody continue to emerge. The overrepresentation of Aboriginal girls in the foster system saturates the industry with Aboriginal female children vulnerable to sexual violence and creates the conditions for long term suffering as a result of child sexualized abuse at the hands of ministry caregivers. In this study a qualitative interview method was used to speak to key informants who are Aboriginal female survivors of the foster care system to explore the effects of and responses to sexual abuse in the foster care system in BC. This research specifically looks at the lives and health of Aboriginal girls who have experienced sexualized violence in foster care. It looks at their accomplishments and successes regardless of the sexualized violence and of the social responses they received regarding the sexualized violence. The research also explores the challenges the girls and women have experienced as a result of the sexualized violence. In addition, this research makes recommendations around professional and therapeutic intervention and prevention. / Graduate / 0452 / 0534 / 0453 / rachelle_dallaire@yahoo.com

This thesis examines the use of restorative justice with cases of sexual assault in Canada through the perspective of practitioner experience. It concludes that restorative justice for sexual assault is an innovative and viable justice practice that should be offered to survivor-victims as an option for their justice-seeking process. A literature review was undertaken to create a summary of past and current academic perspectives on the topic and to provide context for the interviews. Interviews were conducted with 12 restorative justice practitioners in Canada who have experience facilitating or participating in restorative justice processes that dealt with sexual assault. The data from the interviews was analyzed using thematic coding to produce a set of themes based on practitioner experience. The data was also used to examine the ethical issues that are relevant in the current landscape. This thesis determines that practitioners are knowledgeable about the practices that can make the restorative justice process safer. It finds that practitioners report being able to meet the varying needs of survivor-victims through procedural flexibility. It observes that they struggle with the practical and ethical tensions that arise in their work, but these tensions are manageable, and they are committed to working with them. Restorative justice has the potential to address a sexual assault case successfully when survivor-victim needs are met, safer practices are used, and practitioners are informed about the complexities and varying experiences of sexual assault. / Graduate

Forskning visar på en lång historia av sexualisering och objektifiering av kvinnor i reklam. Vad forskning inte fokuserat på är sexualiserat våld i reklambilder. Den här studien är en sammanfogning av forskningsfälten genus och våld i reklam. Vad studien vill ta reda på är om sexualiserat våld används vid framställningen av kvinnor i reklambilderna samt den manliga blickens perspektiv. Studien använder sig av kvalitativ semiotisk analys för att undersöka om sexualiserat våld existerar i sex stycken reklambilder från tre stora modeföretag. Reklambilderna är från Calvin Klein, Diesel och Tom Ford 2016 och 2017. Det teoretiska ramverk för analysen är Hirdmans, med fleras, genusteori, Ekman och Mulveys den manliga blicken samt semiotik i form av Barthes fyra nyckelpunkter för konnotation och Goffmans kategorier om framställning av genus i reklam. Analysen visar slutsatser på att kvinnor objektifieras och sexualiseras i reklambilder och framställs som sexobjekt. Denna sexualisering och objektifiering mynnar ut i tecken på att sexualiserat våld normaliseras i samhället. / Research shows a long history of sexualization and objectification of women in advertising. What research has not focused on is sexualized violence in commercials. This study is a merger of the research fields gender and violence in advertising. The study wants to find out if sexualized violence is used in the portrayal of women in the advertising and the male gaze perspective. The study uses qualitative semiotic analysis to investigate if sexualized violence occurs in six commercials from three major fashion companies. The commercials are from Calvin Klein, Diesel and Tom Ford 2016 and 2017. The theoretical framework for the analysis is Hirdman’s, among others, gender theory, Ekman and Mulvey’s the male gaze and semiotics in the form of Barthes’ four key points for connotation and Goffman’s categories for gender advertisement. The analysis shows that women are objectified and sexualized in commercials and are illustrated as sex objects. This sexualization and objectification results in signs that sexualized violence is normalized in society.

Ce projet de recherche s’intéresse aux expériences de femmes qui ont été victimes de violence à caractère sexuel (VACS) et qui ont choisi d’aborder ce vécu de violence au sein d’une démarche de rencontres détenus-victimes (RDV) offerte par le Centre de services de justice réparatrice (CSJR). La littérature souligne que les victimes de crimes violents contre la personne apprécient de façon générale les pratiques de justice réparatrice post-sentencielles. Toutefois, peu de recherches nous informent des spécificités de l’application de la justice réparatrice en contextes de VACS et des façons dont les personnes victimes en font l’expérience. Afin de contribuer au développement de la littérature sur la justice réparatrice en contexte de VACS, cette recherche se penche spécifiquement sur le modèle de justice réparatrice de crime apparenté développé par le CSJR. Afin d’identifier comment cette démarche a pu être, ou non, sécuritaire et positive pour des femmes qui ont été victimes de VACS, des entretiens qualitatifs ont été effectués auprès de 20 participantes. Les résultats indiquent que la démarche de justice réparatrice offerte par le CSJR a été vécue de façon positive et sécuritaire par près de l’ensemble des participantes (n = 19 sur 20). Plusieurs participantes ont identifié que la compétence des animateurs pour maintenir le cadre a été essentielle pour contribuer à leur sentiment de sécurité à travers la démarche. Une participante a souligné que le non respect d’une règle de fonctionnement a nui à son sentiment de sécurité. De façon générale, la démarche de RDV a contribué pour les participantes à un sentiment de libération, à une prise de contact avec leur pouvoir et à un désir de faire de leur histoire un levier de changement positif. / This research project focuses on the experiences of women who have been victims of sexualized violence and have chosen to adress this violence by participating to victim-offender encounters, facilitated by the Centre de services de justice réparatrice (CSJR). The literature identifies that victims of violent crimes are generally satisfied by post-sentence restorative justice practices. However, little research informs us of the particularities of restorative justice practices in the context of sexualized violence, as well as how victims experience it. In order to contribute to the development of the literature on restorative justice practices applied in the context of sexualized violence, this study focuses on a specific victim-offender encounter model developed by the CSJR. A total of 20 women participated to the data collection through interviews. A majority of participants (n = 19 out of 20) experienced the encounters in a positive way and felt safe throughout the process. Most participants mentioned that the competence of the facilitators to maintain the structure was an important factor to make them feel safe. One participant’s safety was compromised by the breach of a rule after the process. In general, the victim-offender encounters of the CSJR contributed to a feeling of liberation for the participants, connected them to their strenghts and personal power and developed their desire to use their personal story in order to drive positive changes.

There has been little research conducted in general that explores the impact of sexualized violence on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. There is even more limited qualitative research, and almost none of it from a therapeutic perspective. This led me to engage with the fictionalized stories of LGBTQ youth characters who have survived sexualized violence to learn how these stories might inform the work of helping professionals. This thesis provides a reflexive thematic analysis of three novels written by queer authors. Through the lens of response-based therapy, intersectional feminism, and queer theory, it considers the ways in which the characters are impacted by their experiences with sexualized violence and their responses to it. Findings indicate that the characters were affected by childhood sexual abuse at a time in their lives when their sexual identities were on the cusp of being formed. Their experiences with sexualized violence impacted the ways that the characters learned to live with contradictions; experienced ambivalence in the relationships with the adults who caused them harm; and engaged in small acts of resistance against the impact of sexualized violence in their lives to create futures in which they could thrive. The characters’ experiences with casual sex and sex work are shown as an act of resistance against violence. This research aims to queer the discourses on LGBTQ youth who have experienced sexualized violence, expose the small acts of resistance that they perform against the impacts of sexualized violence, and transform the ways that child and youth care workers, therapists, social workers, and other helpers understand the resilience and experiences of LGBTQ survivors. / Graduate