A rape chant is a type of chant made by members of a group that condones rape and sexual assault.
History
Historically rape chants have been associated with the acceptance of violence against women.
Rape chants relate to a sociological concept called
rape culture.
In the past chants have invoked violence against women, violence against children, paedophilia, political violence and even necrophilia.
This topic is not covered widely in textbooks or academic literature but was explored at length in a The Agenda with Steve Paikin segment in 2013.
Notable examples
Africa
Over 100 members of the youth wing of the ruling political party engaged in rape chants in Burundi in 2017.
These chants were subsequently condemned by the
United Nations.
Americas
In 2013 chants occurred at two Canadian universities. These incidents garnered significant media coverage in Canada.
The first incident occurred on
Labour Day when a group of Saint Mary's University students participated in a chant during
frosh-week.
That same September, another incident occurred involving students from the University of British Columbia's prestigious Sauder School of Business. Students from the Commerce Undergraduate Society were recorded participating in these chants. Reforms were made following incidents at UBC and an investigation revealed that such chants were part of an "oral tradition" possibly dating back at least 20 years.
In 2010, Delta Kappa Epsilon, a prominent fraternity at Yale University, was implicated in an incident where members chanted "no means yes, yes means anal." The fraternity was suspended for five years following the chant in 2011.
Australia
A rape chant incident occurred on the University of New South Wales' campus in 2016.
The same chant was repeated by students of Melbourne's St. Kevin's College in 2019, resulting in widespread condemnation.
Europe
In 2017 Jesus College, Cambridge, England disciplined students for allegedly shouting "woman-hating, rape-inciting chants".
In 2022, a chant occurred at Complutense University, Madrid, Spain. The chants were criticised by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
See also
Further reading
-
Anderson, L. & Gonick, M. (2021). The Saint Mary’s Rape Chant: A Discourse Analysis of Media Coverage: Girlhood Studies, New York: 14 (1) pp. 52–67
