Feminist associations warn against sexual violence

If Valentine's Day celebrates love, we also see an upsurge in rape and sexual violence on the evening of lovers' feast.

The feminist association "Forward all " wishes to highlight one of the hidden faces of Valentine's Day: the upsurge in rape and sexual violence observed during this celebration. To do this, the organization has set up awareness workshops to invite everyone to ask questions about their conception of consent. Valentine's Day is "Often perceived as a positive moment, when you express your feelings and give yourself gifts" but unfortunately it is also "a critical moment, with a lot of rapes ", said Louise Delavier, one of the spokespersons for the association fighting against gender-based violence.

"Forward all" particularly calls on young people aged 15-30 to question their conceptions of desire and "healthy sexuality" but also to "learn to place your limits while accepting those of others". Several situations are mentioned such as the one where the man does not understand why his other half refuses to sleep with him although she has invited him to spend the evening with her. "These are times when we force ourselves, to please, to thank for a gift, when we don't want to", Safiatou Mendy, in charge of prevention within the association. Indeed, several testimonies collected on the chat of the association, commentonsaime.fr, show that these situations are frequent. Adolescent girls admit to being"forced"following sexual or psychological violence from their companion.

The Covid-19 pandemic has made "more and more complicated dating," "single people meet less, so the risk is that on each date we feel more under pressure to have sex", reveals Louise Delavier. In addition, young people now meet frequently at one or the other from the first meeting, while bars and restaurants are now closed. Faced with this new trend, it is so important to consider the limits to be set. The association insists that we must not "to feel obligated " to go to the other person "if you don't feel comfortable " because "Having a good time with a person does not imply sexual consent: it is always possible to say stop".

Faced with the increase in gender-based and sexual violence within couples on Valentine's Day, the collective # OnStopAll calls for a "feminist casserole" this Sunday February 14 in front of the town hall of the XXth arrondissement of Paris because "the roses do not erase the blues".

Galentine's Day, even better than Valentine's Day!

Video by Charlene Bouhet

Sarah chekroun

After a master's degree in writing in my pocket, I am now a freelance writer. If my favorite fields are fashion and beauty, I also write articles …