North Africa

[If a friend discloses to me], I will try to explain in a calm and cool-headed way, and probably confidently as well, in the sense that when you are faced with a big problem, you…

I think listening [is the most important part of supporting a friend who discloses]. I totally agree with participant number two, cause’ at the end of the day, a person might, if they decided to…

We need to raise more awareness about problems like these, because I think in our culture, more than western culture, this type of stuff is slept upon. It’s not talked about enough, or it’s even…

I think in North Africa, we have this culture to blame the victim. It’s very important to make the victim understand that he or she isn’t the problem. They didn’t commit any mistake; so I…

Unfortunately, our culture sometimes has the tendency to blame the victim, blaming it on how they were dressed. Probably the biggest thing they say is, “You were dressing too inappropriately, so you were asking for…

In our culture, sexual assault is considered one of the taboo subjects. It is never talked about. Victims have to suffer through [it] alone, in silence, which makes it much harder. So, I think it…

I don’t know if this is relevant, but there’s this stereotype about North Africans or Arabs that they are “controlling”- which sometimes makes it easier to violate this policy. By saying that, “this person is…

I think filing the report directly to the police is better than contacting the university first because it is a more direct way and it wastes less time. If the person decides to seek therapy…

I think it should be automatic. For example, if I’m in school and this person- either they go to school or they don’t, the school should be a safe environment for me. I don’t want…

Participant 1: Everyone assumes that anyone who claims that they have been sexually assaulted is right – at least ninety percent, right? – because nobody likes to go out and talk about it or say,…