Slut Walk

The SlutWalk protest marches began on April 3, 2011 in Toronto, Canada and became a movement of rallies across the world. Participants protest against excusing rape by referring to any aspect of a woman's appearance. The rallies began when Constable Michael Sanguinetti, a Toronto Police officer, suggested that to remain safe, "women should avoid dressing like sluts." The protest takes the form of a march, mainly by young women, where some dress in ordinary clothing and others dress provocatively, like "sluts."

Since the protest in Canada, the rest of the world appears to be following. Women in Sweden, Australia, Argentina, London and Amsterdam, among others, have done the Slut Walk. The message is simple: Sexual assault is an act of violence by the perpetrator, and never something asked for by the victim – no matter what she is wearing, or how she behaves.

There have been a number of responses to the SlutWalk phenomenon, not all of them positive. For example, Australian commentator Andrew Bolt observed that guidance on how to dress is simply risk management, and such advice shouldn't be interpreted as blaming the victim. British Conservative Louise Bagshawe has objected to SlutWalk on the grounds that it promotes promiscuity, which she says is harmful. She also added "promiscuity is not equality."